Murder charges laid in suspicious death case in Saskatoon

A suspicious death on Avenue I South in Saskatoon’s Riversdale neighbourhood is has led to murder charges for two people in Saskatoon’s 12th homicide of 2024.

A 37-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 30-year-old Jordan Lee Morin death, police said on Monday, and a 24-year-old woman was also charged as an accessory to murder after the fact.

Morin’s family has been notified of the death, police said.

Last week, police said officers responded to an “ongoing incident” in the 200 block of Avenue I South early on Friday morning. Police said the officers were investigating a suspicious death, and noted that “several people” were taken into custody. In the initial statement, police service said the remains had not yet been identified.

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Police released more details about the case on Monday morning, including the identity of the victim.

According to police, officers were called to the scene on Aug. 16 for a report of an injured person.

“Upon arrival, when officers were engaging with the occupants of the home, human remains were located on the property,” the police service explained in a statement. “At that time, the occupants of the home were taken into custody for a homicide investigation.”

Homicides within the City of Saskatoon have increased by 67% according to the latest statistics released by the Saskatoon Police Service. The statistics were based on both the first and second quaters of 2024 compared to that of 2023. (Leaflet | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL)

Saskatoon on track for record murders

Saskatoon is on track for a record number of homicides in 2024, with 11 recorded before June 30.

The year’s first homicide was on Feb. 3 in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood when a 25-year-old Alberta man was found dead in a home on Lisgar Avenue. Two people have been charged.

The second was on Feb. 10 when a 48-year-old man was shot to death in Saskatoon’s Caswell Hill neighbourhood. One man was arrested.

On Feb. 17, a 48-year-old man was killed at a home on Avenue I South after being shot in the third homicide of the year. Two people have been arrested.

A man has been charged in the stabbing death of a 35-year-old Saskatoon  on Feb. 19 in the city’s fourth homicide.

The fifth also happened the same day, when two boys aged 12 and 13 were charged in the weapons related death of another 12-year-old boy in the Massey Place neighbourhood.

A 1-year-old boy was the victim in the city’s sixth homicide in the 100 block of Avenue T South on March 9. A woman has been charged.

Saskatoon’s seventh murder was on April 15 when Melissa Duquette, 24, was found dead in the basement of a house in the Dundonald neighbourhood. Two people have been charged.

The eighth homicide, also on April 15 is unsolved after a 25-year-old man was shot in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood.

The following day, April 16, a 30-year-old man died in hospital after being injured on April 15. No one has been arrested.

On June 3, the city’s 10th homicide was recorded inthe 800 block of 22nd Street West  when Glen Lennie, 29, was stabbed. Two people have been charged.

The 11th murder in the city happened on June 12 when Harvey Zoerb, 66, was killed near Fairhaven Elementary School.

`Nothing that we could have done’

The number of murders is of concern to Saskatoon police.

“That’s so concerning for us as police (and) for the community as a whole” Saskatoon Police Chief Cameron McBride said on Monday about the number of murders in the city.

“When we look at the homicides that have occurred there’s just nothing that we could have done — nothing that anyone could have done to prevent it,” he said.

McBride said the police service is collaborating with the community to identify individuals  prone to violence or are engaging in violent activities, and addressing these individuals appropriately.

“Collectively we hope that it’s come to an end,” he said. “But it’s unpredictable.”

The case remains under police investigation, and anyone with information on Morin’s death was asked to contact the Saskatoon Police Service or inform Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at saskcrimestoppers.com.

— with files from 650 CKOM’s Mia Holowaychuk