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James Lee Catholique, 23, was beaten to death on August 26th, 2010.

Catholique was Edmonton's seventeenth homicide victim of the year.

Rene Francis Quinn, 50, and William James Dixon, 34, were each charged with second-degree murder and possession of a weapon.

charges laid | second man charged

Police made two arrests in connection with Edmonton's seventeenth homicide of 2010 after a man was found dead and lying in a pool of blood behind a building at 10010 107A Avenue, just north of downtown.

At about 6:18 p.m. August 26th, a person rushed into the Brick furniture store asking staff to call 911 to report "some kind of disturbance."

Responding officers arrived and found a man – first thought to be in his forties – in a sunken alcove on the east side of the building. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Veteran homicide detective Bill Clark later briefed media.

"What we have is a male with head trauma. We are treating this as a homicide at this time. There's some indication there was an altercation between this male and some other individuals," Clark said.

"Right now the forensics unit is here and they just started their investigation so we don't have a whole lot more to go on.

"I don't have any suspect description or anything like that that I can give you as detectives right now are just interviewing people at police headquarters."

With a threatening sky overhead, forensic staff covered the area behind a short concrete wall with a black tent to keep rain off the crime scene.

One report indicated a weapon of some sort had been located and that the victim appeared to have died from blunt force trauma. Residents from the Mennonite Centre Trinity Manor housing complex – located just to the north – told the Edmonton Sun that police said victim had been hit over the head with a bottle.

The area behind the vacant building – once the main offices of the Edmonton Public School Board, a business development centre, Alcoholics Anonymous and the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers – is one often frequented by the homeless.

"It appears to be an area where street people would hang out," Clark confirmed.

"You can see that there's a lot of debris and that down there ... it looks like some people may have even been sleeping down there at some point."

Police checked area homeless shelters and nearby businesses in an effort to locate witnessses.

On August 27th, police announced that 23-year-old James Lee Catholique had suffered head trauma, the result of an apparent altercation.

Investigators also said they were interested in speaking with the man who first came across Catholique and requested staff at the Brick furniture store to call emergency services – read more »

Investigators expanded their appeal, asking that a woman who drove by the scene in an SUV to contact them.

A male witness who came forward said that he ran up to the SUV as it was driving westbound on 107 A Avenue. He had asked the female driver to call 911 but she did not make the call.

Detectives asked for the public's help in locating the woman as she may be able to provide details of what led to Catholique's death.

"It might not seem like much but she might have witnessed something that we really need to know," a police spokesman said.

Police said James Lee Catholique was of no fixed address.

Charges laid

On August 31st, police charged 50-year-old Rene Francis Quinn with second-degree murder and possession of a weapon. He appeared in court the next day.

Police credited media coverage, saying the arrest was the result of tips received.

Catholique and Quinn were known to each other from time spent together on the streets. Police nabbed Quinn in the downtown area.

"We don't know how close they were, but they knew of each other, within the city core," a police spokesman said.

"It was not a random attack."

Quinn's next court appearance was set for September 10th.

Investigators said they were also looking into the involvement of a second man in connection with Catholique's death. No description was provided.

Second man charged

On September 2nd, it was revealed that a second man had been charged in connection with the death of James Catholique.

Thirty-four-year-old William James Dixon had turned himself in at a southeast police station the day before.

"Mr. Dixon was identified earlier in the investigation and we have been actively searching about," Det. Dale Johnson told media.

"We do believe that Mr. Dixon had word that the police were actively searching for him with our intent to arrest him.

"We also believe that he felt that he had nowhere else to go, and it was likely in his best interest to simply come forward and surrender himself to police."

Dixon was charged with second-degree murder and possession of a weapon.

Johnson said both men charged were known to police, and that Quinn had a lengthy criminal record.

"I believe that all three were loosely associated with each other, all residents in the inner-city and frequenting the same inner-city agencies."

According to police, no motive had been established for the killing and there was nothing to suggest it was related to drug activity.

All three men had been drinking alcohol, Johnson said.

"EPS Homicide Detectives are thankful for the assistance of the media, the valuable information provided by witnesses, and the cooperation of the community in helping to make arrests quickly," Staff Sergeant David Spiers wrote in a news release.

While police said there were no other suspects in the case – now considered closed – they continued to express interest in speaking with the female driver of an SUV seen in the area the night Catholique died.

"We'd be more than happy to speak with her, if she came forward, but she has not," Johnson said.

Anyone with information about the matter was asked to contact police at 780-423-4567, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or online at www.tipsubmit.com. Tips can also be text messaged.

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.
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deadmonton 2010 - james lee catholique