POUNDMAKER CREE NATION – Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes has charged two people in connection to the murder of 31-year-old Lee Bearsears.
Craig Fox, 27, of Little Pine First Nation was arrested in Regina on June 17 and charged with second-degree murder. He appears in North Battleford Provincial Court on July 4.
Preston Checkosis, 44, of Poundmaker First Nation was arrested in Saskatoon on June 10 and charged with accessory after the fact to murder. He appeared in North Battleford Provincial Court on June 10.
Cut Knife RCMP found his body in a rural area on Poundmaker Cree Nation Oct. 16, 2023. Bearsears, 31, was from Little Pine First Nation.
In February, Nicole Bull, spokesperson for the Bearsears family told SaskToday that he had injuries to his face and body and they believe he got lured by some individuals. She also said they believe they drugged and tortured him and beat him up for a few days in a field on Poundmaker before they left him dead in the field.
“He trusted the wrong people at the wrong time and maybe he knew something he wasn’t supposed to and maybe he was going to tell and they stopped him from doing that, maybe he walked in on something.”
Bearsears a family man
Bearsears was a father of seven children and worked as an apprentice at a garage in North Battleford, said Bull.
“He was a mechanic. He was always working on vehicles. He was always fixing up his mom’s vehicles and his Kookum’s vehicles. He was working in the shop in North Battleford. He was working on his journeyman.
“He was a caring father and he was a good big brother who tried his best to provide for his family to make sure that vehicles were safe and ready for the highway any time they needed to go anywhere,” she added. “He wasn’t violent. He wasn’t a criminal offender. He wasn’t anything bad.
"We hope his killers will be brought to justice and that his family will have peace and closure and his kids will grow up healthy like he did," said Bull.
