One of the nine people charged in connection to the brutal 2019 murder of Tiki Brook-Lyn Laverediere, 25, from Edmonton had another court appearance on first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
Soaring Eagle Whitstone, 34, of Onion Lake Cree Nation, was on the Aug. 17 court docket in North Battleford Provincial Court for case management.
Whitstone has been in custody since she was arrested in Lloydminster in 2019 and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a vehicle.
Laverdiere was in North Battleford for a funeral
Laverdiere was in North Battleford April 2019 for the funeral of Tristen Cook-Buckle, 20, on Thunderchild First Nation.
Cook-Buckle’s body was found burned in a vehicle near Vegreville, Alta. on April 5, 2019. Only hours before Cook-Buckle’s body was found, Edmonton Police responded to a call near 92nd St. and 110th Ave. where they found blood on the ground behind the house. DNA later revealed that it was Cook-Buckle’s blood. His death was deemed a homicide but police haven’t released the cause of death.
Laverdiere reported missing and later found murdered
Laverdiere’s body was found in a rural area near North Battleford in June 2019. Laverdiere, from Edmonton, was reported missing to the Battlefords RCMP on May 12, 2019, after her family last heard from her on May 1, 2019, when she sent a text message from North Battleford saying she wanted to return home.
Police consider Laverdiere’s disappearance a murder
On June 10, 2019, police announced that Laverdiere's disappearance was the result of foul play and began investigating it as a murder. The Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crime Unit North, with the assistance of the North Battleford and Prince Albert Forensic Identification Sections and an Analyst from the RCMP Forensic Laboratory in Edmonton, Alta., investigated. Over the next several days, police executed search warrants at a number of locations in North Battleford.
Arrests made in Saskatchewan and Alberta
July 20, 2019: Shayla Orthner, 27, of North Battleford, was arrested and charged with first degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a vehicle.
July 23, 2019: Danita Thomas, 32, of North Battleford was arrested and charged with first degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a vehicle.
July 25, 2019: Brent Checkosis, 18, of North Battleford was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to murder, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a vehicle.
July 28, 2019: Jesse Sangster, 23, was arrested in Edmonton. He was charged with accessory after the fact to murder and theft of a vehicle. In Aug. RCMP revised the charges to first-degree murder, kidnapping and improperly interfering with a human body. The charge of accessory after the fact is withdrawn.
July 31, 2019: Nicole Cook, 37, of Edmonton was arrested in Fort Saskatchewan and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a vehicle.
Aug. 6, 2019: Soaring Eagle Whitstone, 33, of Onion Lake Cree Nation is arrested in Lloydminster and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a vehicle.
Aug. 8, 2019: RCMP issue a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of Nikita Sandra Cook, 32, on first-degree murder and kidnapping charges. She is arrested on Aug. 15, 2019, by Edmonton Police in Edmonton.
Aug. 15, 2019: RCMP arrest Mavis Quinn Takakenew of North Battleford and charge her with accessory to murder.
July 10, 2020: Charles St. Savard was arrested in Edmonton by the Edmonton Police and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Checkosis sentenced on accessory to murder charges
Brent Checkosis was sentenced on May 15, 2020, in Battlefords Court of Queen’s Bench, to seven years in prison for accessory after the fact to the murder of Laverdiere.
In August 2019, two inmates stabbed Checkosis in the Saskatoon Provincial Correctional Centre. The stabbing happened in a high-security gang range of the correctional centre.
In February 2020, inmates Jesse Edward Philip McKenzie, 22, and Kihiw Jason George Fourstar, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and possession of a homemade knife for a dangerous purpose in connection to the stabbing of Checkosis. McKenzie was sentenced to three and a half years concurrent to the time he is currently serving, less 147 days for time served. He was given three months concurrent for the charge of possession of a homemade weapon. Fourstar, on the charge of aggravated assault, was sentenced to three and a half years concurrent to the time he is currently serving, less 107 days for time served. He was also sentenced to three months concurrent for possession of a homemade weapon.
The Crown dropped numerous weapons charges against Brent Checkosis in February 2020. The charges, stemming from other incidents not related to Laverdiere’s death, included three counts of possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, three counts of carrying a concealed weapon, unauthorized possession of a weapon, careless use of a firearm, failing to comply with conditions and failing to appear in court.
Takakenew sentenced for her role in Tiki’s murder
Mavis Quinn Takakenew was sentenced on May 15, 2020, in Battlefords Court of Queen’s Bench to 18 months in prison on a charge of accessory to murder after the fact in the death of Laverdiere.
The court imposed a ban on publication on the sentencing hearings for Checkosis and Takakenew until the trials of all the co-accused are finished.
Upcoming court appearances
•Orthner was committed to stand trial in Battelfords Court of Queen’s Bench on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, improper interference with a human body charges. She waived her right to a preliminary hearing.
She had an appearance in Battlefords Court of Queen’s Bench on Aug. 7 for a pre-trial conference.
•Nicole Cook was committed to stand trial at Queen's Bench court on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, improper interference with a human body and theft of motor vehicle.
•Jesse Sangster pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping and, improper interference with a human body. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for June but was rescheduled to Sept. 28, Oct. 2, Oct. 5-9 and Oct. 13-16. Sangster had case management July 17.
• Danita Thomas elected to be tried in Court of Queen’s Bench on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and improper interference with a human body. A three-week preliminary hearing is scheduled in North Battleford Provincial Court starting Nov. 30.
• Nikita Cook elected a Queen’s Bench judge and jury trial. The trial is scheduled for Jan 11-March 5, 2021, in Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench.
• Charles St. Savard is scheduled to appear in North Battleford Provincial Court on Aug. 28.
•Whitstone’s three-week preliminary hearing is set to start Nov. 2. Whitstone is also scheduled to appear on Aug. 26 in North Battleford Provincial Court to speak to the matter.
-With files from John Cairns
