RCMP in Hobbema have arrested and charged three people, in connection to the death of a man in his 50s, who was found dead in early May.
Police said the three arrests stem from the death of Winston Crier, 51, of the Samson Cree Nation – his body was found in a rural area of the Montana Cree Nation May 6.
Investigators said on May 11, RCMP charged Clifford Soosay, 26, of Hobbema, with first degree murder.
Days later, on May 15 and 16, two more were arrested – Nikki Saddleback, 25, and Troy Crier, 27, both from Hobbema are also facing first degree murder charges.
The incident does not have ties to gang activity, police said, crediting the residents of Hobbema with leading them to the suspects.
“Without their involvement, support and information, we wouldn’t have been able to make these arrests so quickly,” Insp. Charles Wood with Hobbema RCMP said in a press release. “The community of Hobbema won’t stand for this kind of criminal violence and their cooperation with the RCMP reflects that.”
Saddleback and Crier are scheduled to appear in a Wetaskiwin courtroom on May 21, Soosay is to appear in court May 28.
