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Quentin Edward L'Hirondelle, 22, died of blood loss due to a stab wound to the chest on November 8th, 2008.

L'Hirondelle was Edmonton's twenty-seventh homicide victim of the year.

Justin Malcolm Sutherland, 21, was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of assault with a weapon, and possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an indictable offence.

Jimmy Billy Crow Shoe, 22, was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence, and obstructing a peace officer.

An all-night drinking spree had later turned into a stabbing melee, leaving homicide detectives to investigate the city's latest murder.

At around 7:50 a.m. on November 8th, 2008 police were called to Milan Manor at 10617 107 Street to check on reports of a party gone wild in Suite 301.

When they arrived they found three people suffering stabs wounds and a fourth person, a female, who had been assaulted.

The two male victims were rushed to the Royal Alexandra Hospital while the two female victims were taken to the University of Alberta Hospital.

One of the male stabbing victims, described as a man in his 20s, was pronounced dead on arrival. Injuries of the other victims were described as non-life threatening.

Police questioned three persons of interest and said all those at the party were known to each other. Early on, investigators had difficulty in trying to determine what exactly occurred at the crowded gathering. Even the number of injured had yet to be confirmed.

"Investigators have a very tedious task on their hands. We are still trying to figure out, a, how many people were at the party and, b, as far as the number of people that were injured," a police spokesperson said.

"You're looking at a party that happened overnight, essentially going into the early morning hours. A number of people likely took off before investigators arrived on scene.

"So they're going to try to interview people who were at this party, some of whom may have been drinking, try to get information to identify who else may have been there, leading them to a suspect or suspects and try to determine a motive," the spokesman said.

It was later determined about ten people were at the party.

Area neighbour Karen Supernault told media a man showed up at her house bleeding and asking for help. He told her someone had barged into the party and started screaming "A-dub," slang for the Alberta Warriors, one of over a dozen Edmonton-area gangs identified by city police.

"A gang, I guess, came to his door. He opened the door then he shut it – he didn't want them in but they kicked the door down and came in and, I guess, stabbed people," Supernault said.

"He showed me his stab wound ... he was scared to die.

"He was telling me he got stabbed and he was bleeding and lifting his shirt up showing me where he was stabbed. He came here for help. I didn't have a phone so I couldn't call 911, but I helped him with his wound.

"And so my daughter runs downstairs and gets a towel, wets it, and we put it on his wound there and he was telling me he got stabbed and the group that stabbed him were – it's like a gang."

Police gang and drug units had yet to be called into the investigation.

Supernault said she had met the man before through friends. She said he was about 21 years old and there was an unrelated arrest warrant outstanding against him.

"He was pretty intoxicated," she said, convincing him he should go to the hospital.

As she was helping the man, a second victim showed up in her backyard. He was bending over, she said, and appeared to have been hiding.

Supernault had only lived in the area for four months and the incident was an eye-opener.

"I thought I was pretty safe if I kept to myself – which is true – but I guess you can't hide from everything.

"It's a crazy building," she said.

Tenants said there had been frequent parties in the building which only had three suites occupied. The front security door had been replaced a week before the murder, but was broken again just days later.

"Somebody died today ... it's awful actually because that's somebody's daughter or son or uncle ... sad," Supernault said.

Other neighbours also identified Milan Manor as a source of problems, saying police had been to the building several times.

"It's really busy, it's too much. Like I've seen a guy getting beaten in the back right over here," one area resident said.

Another neighbour who lived across the street was shocked to see the crime scene tape go up.

"I think it's sad this type of thing is still happening in Edmonton. It's kind of scary when this happens so close to home, especially when there's so many good people around," Jason Stronciski said.

Quentin Edward Lhirondelle - Facebook image

Late in the afternoon of November 9th police announced they had arrested two men in connection with the death of 22-year-old Quentin Edward L'Hirondelle.

Jimmy Billy Crow Shoe, 22, was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence, and obstructing a peace officer.

An autopsy officially confirmeed Lhirondelle's death was the result of blood loss due to a stab wound to the chest.

Friends of Quentin set up a Facebook tribute page.

Dedicated "2 Our Fallen Soldier," the page initially read "The World Lost The Realiset Native ... Our I.C. General."

A commemorative black hoodie was created to honour the slain man.

Friends of Quentin's said battles with drugs and gangs punctuated his life.

"He was fearless on the outside," Denielle Lloyd told the Edmonton Sun. "But inside he battled with his past and I'm not sure why someone would take away his future."

L'Hirondelle might have made mistakes, Lloyd said, but he was a good man who didn't deserve such a fate.

"He was a good person, kind-hearted, and a leader ... He never lost sight of his goals and was headstrong."

In an email to the Edmonton Journal, Korisa Daniels wrote of Quentin's quixotic nature.

"Quentin was a fun guy always ready to have fun and ready to make anybody smile even if [you] were the saddest person around," Daniels wrote.

"He was also very tough but the nicest person you could have ever [met]."

The Sun also spoke with Dorothy L'Hirondelle, Quentin's grandmother.

"He was very lovable," she said. "Quentin had a big heart."

Known as "grams" to her grandson, Dorothy said Quentin had made his mistakes but was getting his life together before being murdered.

She said he was never involved with gangs, or drugs, despite what was said by a source the Sun quoted.

"My grandson never did drugs," she stated.

An older brother to six siblings, Quentin grew up in Edmonton and was part of a strong circle of friends who looked out for him, according to Dorothy.

He bled to death surrounded by a younger brother and some cousins, she said.

Funeral arrangements were underway with services set for Sacred Heart Church, 10821 96 Street, on November 17th, 2008.

CTV Edmonton's November 8th, 2008 coverage of L'Hirondelle's murder can be seen here.

Quentin L'Hirondelle's murder was the latest among many along the Avenue of Nations, a strip stretching along 107th Avenue between 97th Street to the east and 124th Street to the west.

On August 5th, 2008 42-year-old Andrew Livingstone O'Brien was found shot to death in the driveway of the Admiral House apartment block at 10741 108 Street, two blocks away from the city's latest homicide.

At the time of O'Brien's death, media documented over a dozen murders in the area just north of the downtown core – see problems persist on the Avenue of Nations.

All the information presented on this page has been compiled primarily from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against the individuals named on this web site.
The Last Link on the Left practices fair presentation and the disclosure of relevant interests.
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deadmonton 2008 - quentin edward l'hirondelle