Jeremie Auger, 22, died of multiple stab wounds on October 17th, 2009.
Auger was Edmonton's twenty-second homicide victim of the year.
23-year-old Coda William Fika was charged with second-degree murder and possession of an offensive weapon.
The area's unusual street alignments cause 113th and 118th Avenues to be one block apart
Shortly before 2 a.m. October 17th, 2009 emergency services were called to a home at 11343 54 Street where they found a 22-year-old man bleeding on the front step.
The man was rushed to hospital with serious injuries and died shortly after arriving. It was widely reported he had been stabbed.
Homicide detectives were called out and an adult male, known to the victim, was located at the scene and detained.
A number of children were seen being escorted from the residence following the incident.
Forensics staff spent the day examining the home.
While officers indicated there appeared to be no connection between the occupants of the house and the victim, a man who happened to be in the home was said to have had an altercation with the victim earlier in the day.
According to an occupant of the home, that man and his girlfriend were taken into custody. Police said no other suspects were being sought.
While officers revealed little about the matter, a woman who lived in the home provided media with a detailed re-counting of events – read more »
Shauna Johnson rented the home in the east Highlands neighbourhood and lived there with her younger brother, her boyfriend and her three children.
Johnson and her boyfriend were in Calgary at the time of the attack. They were called about the incident and returned to Edmonton to find yellow crime scene tape blocking off their cul-de-sac.
Johnson's brother had stayed home to babysit with his friend (later identified as Coda William Fika) and Fika's girlfriend.
Apparently, Fika's girlfriend and the victim (later identified as Jeremie Auger) had a child together, a sore point between him and Fika, Johnson told media.
"[Jeremie] has anger problems and I guess he beat on the guy's girlfriend all the time," she said.
The men had been in a fight downtown earlier that day and "he came to finish it off" at the house, Johnson said, adding that Jeremie had come in through the back door.
"They fought him in the kitchen for a bit and then [he was thrown] out the front door. He was stabbed in the house ... things turned bad."
According to Johnson, her brother was questioned and released. He was too shaken up to talk, Johnson later said.
Her brother's friend and the girlfriend remained in custody.
Johnson's children were sleeping when the fight took place. "They're OK. They didn't see anything," she said.
What area residents saw was police take away two men and a woman, all handcuffed.
One of the men was yelling "There was blood everywhere ... my life is over," according to neighbour Sandy Oakes.
Paramedics took another man away on a stretcher.
"You could tell [Auger] was unconscious," Oakes said.
A woman screamed that her baby was still inside. "Nobody goes in the house," Oakes heard police bark out.
Officers eventually took the hysterical woman away.
"She was just crying on her knees," Oakes said, adding the woman appeared to know the victim and asked repeatedly if he was alright.
Police did not comment on Johnson's re-counting of events.
Shauna Johnson and her boyfriend had been in Calgary, part of a romantic weekend where she planned to propose.
Not being able to get back into their house because forensics staff were still working the scene, they went for breakfast instead.
Johnson, with ring already in hand, decided to propose to her boyfriend over morning coffee.
"I was just waiting for the right moment, but that didn't really come, so I did it anyway."
Johnson's boyfriend said yes to the proposal. No wedding date was announced.
However, a statement released on behalf of Auger's family contested media reports that the victim was the instigator in the matter – read more »
"Jeremie was a dedicated father and hard-working man who had lots of life to live," Kimberly Desjarlais wrote.
"He was very funny [and] loved to tell jokes.
"He always took the kids to the park. He was like a big kid himself.
"He is not the instigator the [media] is trying to make him out to be.
"The family wants to make it clear that Jeremie was not downtown earlier that day. He was at work, all day, and he did not go to the residence of 113th Avenue and 54th Street to finish a fight.
"Jeremie was there to pick up his daughter."
Relatives said Auger adored his baby girl.
"He would do anything for his daughter," said Dwayne Auger, a cousin. "So who knows what happened?"
The family revealed that Jeremie would have turned 23 on October 20th.
In the days after the murder, Halloween decorations remained on the steps. In addition to the bloodstains, they served as a grim reminder of the season's darker side.
After an autopsy was conducted on October 19th, police identified the victim as 22-year-old Jeremie Auger. He had died of multiple stab wounds.
As a result, 23-year-old Coda William Fika (above) was charged with second-degree murder and possession of an offensive weapon.
Fika had been taken into custody at the scene shortly after Auger was stabbed. After a brief appearance on October 26th, Fika was next due in court on November 26th, 2009 when he was expected to enter a plea and election.
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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