First Nation man faces 5 concurrent life sentences for death of woman, 4 children
CBC
WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about gruesome deaths and sexual abuse.
A man from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) in northwestern Ontario has received five concurrent life sentences for the deaths of a woman and four children in a house fire nearly seven years ago.
The fire took place in the remote Oji-Cree community, some 580 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, on May 2, 2019.
It resulted in the deaths of:
The Ontario Forensic Pathology Service and Office of the Chief Coroner determined the cause of their deaths was smoke inhalation.
Archie McKay, Geraldine's on-again, off-again partner, was charged in December 2020 with five counts of first-degree murder. In April 2025, he was found guilty of five counts of second-degree murder in connection with the five deaths.
Geraldine and McKay were Shyra's biological parents. The other children who died in the fire lived with Chapman and were in her care.
Justice John S. Fregeau delivered McKay’s sentence at the Superior Court of Justice in Kenora on Monday.
The court heard that McKay set the fire by the only exit of the old, wood-frame home in the middle of the night “knowing children were asleep inside” and used an accelerant, Fregeau said.
The 2019 fire prompted KI to declare a state of emergency over the mental health effects of the losses. The First Nation did not have a fire department at that time.
McKay told lies and made deceptive statements about what happened the night of the fire, Fregeau said.
He also noted McKay’s history of domestic violence charges involving both Geraldine Chapman and a previous intimate partner.
When an Indigenous person is sentenced for a crime in Canada, the court must consider their background — or Gladue factors — and how these may have played a role in their involvement in the criminal justice system.
Fregeau spoke at length about McKay’s “appalling life circumstances,” which include exposure to alcohol abuse and domestic violence at a young age.
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