NORTH BATTLEFORD – An Edmonton man charged with first-degree murder in the death of 25-year-old Tiki Laverdiere - and who is facing additional charges - had an appearance scheduled in court Monday.
Prince Albert lawyer Rebecca Crookshanks appeared in person in North Battleford Provincial Court and waived 25-year-old Jesse James Sangster's appearance. He is facing new charges of possession of property over $5,000 obtained by crime, and failing to appear in court. The charges stem from the time frame of Laverdiere’s murder. The details are under a sweeping publication ban prohibiting details from the preliminary hearings, trials, and sentencing hearings of the 10 accused until all of those charged have gone through the court system.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Chris Browne didn’t object to the postponement. Judge Daniel O’Hanlon adjourned Sangster’s matter to Feb. 25 when Sangster is expected to appear by CCTV from the correctional centre.
Sangster is one of 10 people charged with Laverdiere’s murder. He was arrested on July 29, 2019, in Edmonton.
Five have been sentenced and five remain to be sentenced.
Nikita Cook was sentenced to 25 years in prison on a charge of first-degree murder. Charles St. Savard was sentenced to 14 months and 20 days in jail for unlawful confinement. Mavis Takakenew was sentenced to 18 months in jail for accessory to murder. Brent Checkosis was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for accessory to murder. Samuel Takakenew was sentenced to time served on a charge of accessory to murder.
Trials remain for Sangster, Soaring Eagle Whitstone, Danita Thomas, Nicole Cook, and Shayla Orthner on charges of kidnapping, first-degree murder, improperly interfering with a body and theft of a vehicle. The charges against Sangster, Whitstone, Cook, Thomas, and Orthner haven't been proven in court.
Laverdiere was in Saskatchewan April 2019 for a funeral on Thunderchild First Nation for 20-year-old Tristen Cook-Buckle. Cook-Buckle was from Edmonton and his body was found in a burned out vehicle near Vegreville, Alta., on April 5, 2019. His murder remains unsolved. Laverdiere's body was found July 11, 2019, by a police dog in a rural area outside of North Battleford while RCMP were conducting a ground search.
