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Floyd James Horvath, 38, was stabbed to death July 10th, 2009.

Horvath was Edmonton's sixteenth homicide victim of the year.

Teddy Preston Francis, 23, and a 15-year-old male were charged with second-degree murder, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, aggravated assault, and two counts of robbery.

Under provision of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the teen cannot be named.

charges laid | well-known to police

For homicide detectives it was a familiar locale: The Avenue of Nations.

The 107th Avenue strip north of downtown has seen more than its fair share murders – eighteen since 2004, including the latest case of a person stabbed at a bus stop near 114th Street, in front of Waterloo Ford Lincoln Sales.

Emergency services got the call at about 2:40 a.m. July 10th, 2009. A 38-year-old man had suffered serious injuries from some sort of altercation and was rushed to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Trauma Centre where he later died.

As Air One flew overhead, police worked the ground, taping off a crime scene stretching blocks.

The victim's clean-looking army-green backpack, some bloody clothes, a red and black ball cap and two crushed cans of value-priced Lucky beer cans marked the spot where his body was found.

The investigation also includes the stabbing of a woman, which police consider to be connected to the man's death.

An attendant at a Shell gas station about a block east at 113th Street called 911 at about the same time police were dealing with the man, reporting that a bleeding woman was out front. Her injuries were termed non-life threatening and she was treated in hospital.

"It's believed the same suspects are responsible for both victims," a police spokesman said. "They are still investigating if there is any connection between the two victims.

"Police do believe that the person or persons responsible for the first incident are connected to the second incident."

After speaking with witnesses, police took two persons of interest into custody.

The only witness media could find was a man who woke up at about 2 a.m. and heard a woman yelling outside his apartment. That was followed by the "bellowing sounds" of a man.

"It sounded like an older gentleman was yelling at two younger guys and saying, 'Bring it, young'uns,' " a man named Jonathan said.

"Then I heard the sound of footsteps, people running past my building down the back alley, with lots of murmuring and muttering."

Another man said shortly after police arrived he saw them load a man's bike into the back of a patrol car.

Investigators may have caught a lucky break when it was learned security cameras at the Ford dealership recorded some of the events surrounding the stabbing.

One source indicated a small group of people was seen walking north immediately after the altercation. Detectives have requested copies of the footage.

Area motorists, already challenged by the complete closure of 111th Avenue due to re-construction and a water main break, were funneled through single lanes east and westbound along 107th for most of the day as police kept the area shut down for forensic work

While those that drove through the area were frustrated by the temporary inconvenience, residents told media they were fed up with the neighbourhood's notoriety – read more »

For more about the history of the crime-stained strip, see Problems persist on the Avenue of Nations.

With five murders since June 12th – and with one death listed as suspicious – Edmonton's homicide detectives had to call in help from other units.

"It's certainly a spike in our workload that we never welcome," section head Staff Sgt. Lorne Pubantz said. "There are some long hours because you follow the evidence wherever it leads.

"It's challenging, but we're managing. Ultimately our goal is to seek the truth."

Charges laid

On July 11th police announced that they had charged two males in connection with the stabbing death of 38-year-old Floyd James Horvath.

Teddy Preston Francis, 23, and a 15-year-old male were charged with second-degree murder, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, aggravated assault, and two counts of robbery.

In a news release, police said that at around 2:40 a.m. on Friday, two males allegedly robbed a 39-year-old woman near 114th Street and 107th Avenue.

Minutes later, a 27-year-old woman was stabbed after the pair tried to rob her.

An altercation then took place between the two males and a 38-year-old male who happened to be nearby. The man was stabbed and the pair fled the scene.

Police credit witness information given to responding officers for the quick arrests.

"Detectives appreciate the public's assistance in coming forward with information. We’re pleased to get to this point so early in the investigation," homicide section head Staff Sgt. Lorne Pubantz said in a released statement.

Francis and the 15-year-old youth made their first court appearances on July 13th. Both had the cases put over.

Francis was set to return July 24th, while the teen was due back in court August 14th, 2009.

Well-known to police

Teddy Preston Francis was a person police were familiar with – he last eluded them in July 2008 while out on bail – read more »

Floyd Horvath also seemed to have had his own brushes with the law. In 2003 he served time for stabbing a cab driver in the hand in Fort McMurray.

But those who knew him had no doubt he would have acted as a Good Samaritan if he saw someone in need.

Detectives had yet to sort what exactly happened on 107th Avenue, including whether Horvath attempted to intervene when the 27-year-old woman was being attacked.

"Nothing like that has been ruled out," a police spokesman said. Also not known was if any of the victims and assailants knew each other, or if drugs or gang activity played a factor.

The robbery charges stem from the attacks on the two woman. "There's no charge of robbery relating to that third incident," the police spokesman said, speaking to Horvath's stabbing.

Media spoke with Paula Marten, Horvath's ex-girlfriend, who said defending a woman would have been in his nature – read more »

The two had dated in Horvath's hometown of Fort Chipewyan when she was 16 and he was 28. They lost touch but reconnected through the popular internet social networking site, Facebook.

About six months ago, through frequent online chats from her home in Fort McMurray, Marten found out that Horvath had lived in Edmonton for several years and was working, although she wasn't sure what he did.

“Floyd was the kind of guy that was always happy and outgoing, and I'm still in shock and disbelief. I just keep hoping that it wasn't true,” Marten said.

"I had no idea he was living in such a bad area. I don't know if he was into drugs; I doubt it. I knew he drank; he was probably at a party and was just leaving. He was so nice. He was always so happy.

“As for his family, I think everyone is pretty much just in shock with the whole thing,” Marten said.

“It's just so hard to come to terms that he is gone.”

Tony Whiteknife, a cousin in Regina, said Horvath had a daughter and a one-year-old granddaughter.

"The whole family is shocked about it," Whiteknife said. "He was too young to go. He was a funny guy who always made everyone laugh."

Whiteknife recalled Horvath as a "good guy" who enjoyed break-dancing and native artwork, and said his cousin had bounced around between homes recently.

Echoing what some might consider a case of six degrees of separation, the woman Horvath was last closest to was the sister of a woman who died at the hands of British Columbia pig-farmer Robert Pickton.

Tammy Papin was in jail for possession of a weapon when interviewed and said Floyd's death had inspired her to clean up her act and do something meaningful with her life.

"I get out next week and my focus is to get my life together," Papin said.

Georgina Papin

Papin and Horvath had met in Lethbridge in 2007. She liked that Floyd was didn't mind her past which included legal problems and personal tragedy – specifically the murder of her sister Georgina. The pair had planned to move to Fort Chip to settle down.

The 43-year-old woman planned to advocate for stiffer sentences for those convicted on child pornography and sexual abuse charges.

"That's what he would have wanted me to do."

Like others, Papin said she wasn't surprised to hear that Horvath might have died trying to help others.

"He had a big heart," she said. "I can't believe it. He didn't deserve to die, he was a good person. I'm really going to miss him."

Friends and relatives left tributes on a R.I.P Floyd James Horvath page set up on Facebook.

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deadmonton 2009 - floyd james horvath