Lloydminster man beaten in Prince Albert apartment, over $100: court

By Nigel Maxwell

Surrounded by family members, a man charged in the late 2019 murder of Dylan Chretien has been sentenced for his role in the incident.

Brandon Daniels received a 12-month conditional sentence, meaning he’ll stay out of jail as long as he can abide by a number of conditions. The 26-year-old was initially charged with accessory to murder after the fact, but entered a guilty plea Monday at Prince Albert Provincial Court to obstruction of justice.

Dylan Chretien was reported missing Nov. 2, 2019 and found deceased just over a month later. His death was determined to be the result of foul play, and his mother previously revealed to paNOW her son had come to Prince Albert the week prior after agreeing to help give a female friend a ride from Lloydminster to Prince Albert.

According to the statements of facts read in court by Crown lawyer Doug Howell, Chretien had driven the friend to a known “crack house”, an apartment in the 600 block of 28th Street E. He then stayed there with the occupants, after his friend had left with someone else. The friend was later arrested on an unrelated matter.

Chretien returned with the Chinese food and then left again, only to receive a text message a short time later inquiring where the cash was. When Chretien returned to the apartment, he was taken into a bedroom and assaulted.

While still conscious and covered in blood, he was later taken in a vehicle and left for dead in a field northwest of the city near the Saskatchewan Penitentiary. Police would later locate the body using the last known location on his phone. The pathologist could not determine the cause of death, however found evidence of multiple stab wounds, blunt force trauma to the head, and signs of ligature strangulation.

During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Daniels’ role was described as “peripheral”. He had been outside the bedroom where the assault happened, but was directed by one of the co-accused to help clean up the mess, essentially making it impossible for police to later find any forensic evidence.

“She (the co-accused) told them no one could leave until the cleaning was completed,” Howell said.

Daniels’s court conditions include keeping the peace, abiding by a curfew for the first four months, and not to possess any drugs, alcohol or weapons. His lawyer Zachary Carter explained his client had been cooperative with police, and also re-iterated his involvement was based on being “under direction.”

Six others have been charged in the case and pending court dates, including Sharise Sutherland-Kayseas, and Sheldon Goodvoice, who were both charged with first degree murder. Brandon Smith and Sharise Christie Roy, were charged with second degree murder. Roy’s charge has since been downgraded to aggravated assault.

Tara Bird, charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact, has a trial date scheduled for February.

Max Moosmootoos, who faces a similar charge to Daniels and Bird, had his matters spoken to Monday, albeit in a different court room. The file was adjourned to Dec. 29, with his lawyer indicating they are close to a resolution.