Richard Froese
South Peace News
A High Prairie man charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a Sucker Creek man on Nov. 19, 2021 will have to wait a few weeks to find out when he will go to trial.
Travis Myles Melnyk appeared in Peace River Court of King’s Bench on April 24 when his trial dates were scheduled to be set.
However, a pre-trial conference was instead scheduled for May 25 for the Crown and lawyer to determine how many days will be required for a trial, considering the large amount of disclosure.
Melnyk was ordered March 1 to stand trial, the second day of a scheduled four-day preliminary inquiry in High Prairie Court of Justice.
Melnyk was 40 when he was charged by RCMP in November 2021. He also faces a charge of unlawful confinement.
RCMP Media Relations Officer Cpl. Susan Richter said the Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team responded to a call on Nov. 19 about 5:30 p.m. when a male was taken into custody in relation to a homicide.
In the early morning of Nov. 19, Lakeshore Regional Police Service and High Prairie RCMP responded to a report of an assault with a weapon at Sucker Creek First Nation.
“Emergency Services arrived n the scene and found a 35-year-old male deceased,” Richter says.
“The initial investigation determined the circumstances surrounding the death appeared to be suspicious in nature.”
The Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit took over the lead in the investigation.
Police agencies did not release the name of the victim.