BATTLEFORD – A four-day trial for a young offender charged with second-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old Ryan Gatzke wrapped up Tuesday in Battleford Court of King’s Bench.
Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown reserved her verdict but a date for her decision hasn’t been set. The case was prosecuted by Senior Crown Prosecutor Jennifer Schmidt and the youth was represented by Saskatoon defence counsel Katherine Pocha.
There is a ban on publication of the details of the youth’s trial until the trial for his co-accused, Jacob Ballantyne, concludes in June. Charles McLean and Isaac Melko were also charged with Gatzke’s murder. In March 2022, Charles McLean pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison. In February, Isaac Melko was sentenced to 12 years in prison on a charge of second-degree murder.
The young offender, who was 17 at the time of Gatzke’s murder in 2019, can’t be named in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The young offender was also charged with break and enter with intent to commit an indictable offence, disguise with intent, carry a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence, possession of a firearm without a license, and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Police found a badly injured Gatzke in a house in Battleford in October 2019. He was taken to the North Battleford hospital where he was declared deceased.
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