Mother of Saskatoon homicide victim shocked after Crown stays 1st-degree murder charges against 3 accused
CBC
Crystal Duquette says she didn't think anything could compare to the horror of a Saskatoon police officer knocking on her door and saying her daughter Melissa had been found murdered in a house on 33rd Street.
Then her phone rang last Friday, June 20. It was a Crown prosecutor.
"They said that the charges were stayed and that they were going to be released," Duquette said in an interview.
"My world fell apart again. My daughter was murdered again."
Saskatchewan Justice confirms that first-degree murder charges against Sundance Okemaysim, Kevin Keenatch and Kendall Ameech were stayed earlier this month. Specifics were not provided.
"After careful consideration, it was determined this case no longer met the prosecution standard," an official wrote in an email.
"Given this assessment, the prosecutor directed a stay of proceedings."
Duquette does not know whether the trio are still considered suspects, or whether the investigation is now veering in a different direction. A stay means the Crown has one year to revive the charges, should the evidence warrant.
"I don't want to be that angry, bitter person. I can't," she said.
"But I am. I am angry, I'm hurt, I wanna scream at somebody, you know? Somebody that could make it better. But there's no making it better."
Melissa Duquette was 24 when she was shot in the basement of a house on 33rd Street in the Dundonald neighbourhood. It was in April 2024, some three months after Crystal said her daughter had pulled out of a gang lifestyle. It was a scary, hopeful time.
Melissa stayed in close touch with her family — she was the second oldest child — and planned on moving to Calgary to study welding. Crystal said Melissa would treat her siblings to Slurpees and fix things around the house. She had just started working in construction, building houses.
"I remember her waking up every morning, she would walk to work," she said.
"I still have her work boots."
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