A preliminary hearing has been set for four people charged with the kidnapping and first-degree murder of a La Ronge woman last year.
Charlie Napthalie Charles, 25, Deborah Maggie McKenzie, 30, Telsa Jane McKenzie, 25, and Sharise Justice Sutherland-Kayseas, 25, are all charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and forcible confinement in the death of Sheena Marie Billette, 28. A fifth person, Kandi Rose Ratt, 27, was charged with accessory after the fact to murder.
A passing motorist found Billette’s body on Hwy 102 seven kilometres north of La Ronge at about 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 23, 2019. Police haven’t revealed the cause of death but on Dec. 30, 2019, they said an autopsy determined Billette’s death was a homicide.
Prince Albert RCMP arrested Ratt on Jan. 18, 2020, in Christopher Lake, Sask. Sutherland-Kayseas, Deborah McKenzie and Telsa McKenzie were arrested in La Ronge on Jan. 13, 2020. Ratt and Charles were on the run until their eventual arrest. Ratt was arrested in Christopher Lake by the Prince Albert Police on Jan. 18, 2020, and Charles was arrested in Prince Albert by Prince Albert Police Service on Feb. 4, 2020.
The investigation involved several police forces including Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Unit South, La Ronge and Prince Albert General Investigation Sections, the Prince Albert and Tisdale Forensic Identification Sections, and the Prince Albert Police.
A preliminary hearing for the co-accused is scheduled in La Ronge Provincial Court on Jan. 25, 2021.
