NORTHERN ONTARIO
Northern Ontario

    • Three suspects charged with murder after northern Ont. stabbing victim dies

    Share

    A 20-year-old from Batchewana First Nation and two young offenders have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with a July 30 stabbing.

    Ontario Provincial Police in Sault Ste. Marie said Tuesday the charges now include murder after the 19-year-old victim in the attack died of his wounds.

    The victim, Brandan Pellow of Aweres Township, died in hospital Aug. 5.

    Batchewana First Nation Police Service and the Sault Ste. Marie OPP responded to the stabbing on Gran Street around 3:30 a.m. July 30.

    A 20-year-old from Batchewana First Nation and two young offenders have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with a July 30 stabbing. (File)

    Two people -- a 17-year-old from Batchewana First Nation and a 16-year-old from Thunder Bay -- were initially charged with aggravated assault and uttering death threats. The 20-year-old was arrested Aug. 1 for the same offences, as well as for failing to comply with a release order.

    The trio was rearrested Aug. 5 for the additional charge of first-degree murder.

    Everyone charged in the case remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Sault Ste. Marie on a later date.

    “The investigation continues by the Sault Ste. Marie OPP Crime Unit and the Batchewana Police Service under the direction of the OPP criminal investigation branch,” police said.

    Anyone with any information about the investigation is asked to contact the Sault Ste. Marie OPP or Batchewana First Nation Police Service at 1-888-310-1122.

    To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

    Top Stories

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A man who has brain damage has a murder conviction reversed after a 34-year fight

    A man who has brain damage and was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a shopkeeper in London had his decades-old conviction quashed Wednesday by an appeals court troubled by the possibility police elicited a false confession from a mentally vulnerable man. Oliver Campbell, who suffered cognitive impairment as a baby and struggles with his concentration and memory, was 21 when he was jailed in 1991 after being convicted based partly on admissions his lawyer said were coerced. “The fight for justice is finally over after nearly 34 years," Campbell said. “I can start my life an innocent man.” Campbell, now in his 50s, was convicted of the robbery and murder of Baldev Hoondle, who was shot in the head in his shop in the Hackney area of east London in July 1990. He had a previous appeal rejected in 1994 and was released from prison in 2002 on conditions that could have returned him to prison if he got into trouble. Defense lawyer Michael Birnbaum said police lied to Campbell and “badgered and bullied” him into giving a false confession by admitting he pulled the trigger in an accident. He was interviewed more than a dozen times, including sessions without either a lawyer or other adult present. His learning disability put him “out of his depth” and he was "simply unable to do justice to himself,” Birnbaum said. He said the admissions were nonsense riddled with inconsistencies that contradicted facts in the case. At trial, he testified that he was not involved in the robbery and had been somewhere else though he couldn't remember where. A co-defendant, Eric Samuels, who has since died, pleaded guilty to the robbery and was sentenced to five years in prison. At the time, he told his lawyer Campbell was not the gunman and later told others Campbell wasn’t with him during the robbery. Lawyers continued to advocate for Campbell that he wasn't the killer and his case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission which investigates potential injustices. The three judges on the Court of Appeal rejected most of Birnbaum's grounds for appeal but said they were troubled by the conviction in light of a new understanding of the reliability of admissions from someone with a mental disability. The panel quashed the conviction as 'unsafe,' and refused to order a retrial.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Barrie

    Toronto

    Ottawa

    Kitchener

    London

    Windsor

    Montreal

    Winnipeg

    Atlantic

    N.L.

    Calgary

    Edmonton

    Regina

    Saskatoon

    Vancouver

    Vancouver Island

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News