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 is proceeding to a preliminary inquiry.
Travis Myles Melnyk appeared in High Prairie provincial court Jan. 23 from the Edmonton Remand Centre on closed-circuit television.
Judge S. P. Hinkley finalized the dates of Feb. 28 to March 3 after lawyer Derek Anderson updated the court.
“I spoke with Mr. Melnyk,” Anderson said.
“We are in a position to confirm the dates for the preliminary inquiry.”
Anderson confirmed in court Jan. 16 that Melnyk retained him as his lawyer.
The judge was delighted that the case in moving forward.
“Mr. Melnyk, we’re going to get your matter rolling,” Judge Hinkley said.
He noted the matter has been taking a long time when he spoke with Crown prosecutor Terrance Hudson.
“It’s a journey, but we got there,” Judge Hinkley said.
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 on the scene and found a 35-year-old male deceased,” Richter said.
“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 did not release the name of the victim.