Manitoba RCMP lays charges in First Nation homicides

Last Updated April 26, 2024 10:08 am.

The Manitoba RCMP says it has laid charges in connection to a double homicide in 2021, in Northlands Denesuline First Nation.

Mounties say on Sep. 9, 2021, emergency crews responded to a house fire in the First Nation.

After the fire was extinguished, officers found the remains of 31-year-old Brent Denechezhe and 24-year-old Leona Tssessaze.

Following a two-and-a-half-year-long investigation, police learned that the pair was with another man in Denechezhe's home, before the man left after a disagreement.

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The man reportedly returned with a gun, which is when police believe the homicides occurred, before the house was set on fire.

Autopsies were able to confirm Denechezhe and Tssessaze died from gunshot wounds.

On Apr. 22, 2024, RCMP took 22-year-old Leon Paul Mercredi into custody in Fond du Lac, Saskatchewan.

Mercredi was originally from Northlands Denesuline First Nation and left shortly after the deaths.

He has since been taken to Winnipeg, and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

"The conclusion we have here today could not have happened without three things - the strength and courage of Brent and Leona's mothers, Veronique and Ellen; the assistance of the people of Northlands Denesuline First Nation; and the tenacity and dedication of our investigators," said Superintendent Rob Lasson, Officer in Charge of Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services.

"While we have been able to provide some answers to Leona and Brent's families, we cannot take away their immense loss. Our condolences go out to the families and the community, and we hope the arrest of a suspect helps them on their healing journey."