Murder conviction for 2015 God’s Lake slaying

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/01/2020 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Four years after Crystal Andrews’ battered body was discovered hidden in the bush, underneath a camouflage of moss and spruce branches, a long-time suspect has been named as her killer.

Michael Okemow, 39, was convicted Friday of second-degree murder in the Nov. 8, 2015, slaying, following a two-week trial in God’s Lake First Nation.

Andrews, a 22-year-old mother of two, disappeared while walking home in the early morning from a Halloween party in the community, located 550 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Trappers discovered her body later that day.

When questioned by police, Okemow denied meeting Andrews. He claimed on the night of the killing he had been using his father’s Ford Escape SUV as a taxi when he was assaulted by two men hiding in the back of the vehicle. He said he later woke up in a ditch, his vehicle gone.

Prosecutors argued a retracing of the paths taken by Okemow and Andrews that night left no doubt as to the identity of the killer.

“The sad reality is the court will likely never know why Crystal Andrews was killed,” Crown attorney Ari Millo told Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin in a closing argument Monday. “The trail of circumstantial evidence… however, will allow you to know who killed her: Michael Okemow.”

According to a pathologist, Andrews was stomped and bludgeoned to death. Okemow’s DNA was found inside Andrews’ body.

Court heard testimony Andrews and a few friends had approached a community man about providing them taxi service home, but Andrews ultimately decided to walk after getting into a fight with one her friends.

Later, the taxi driver spotted Andrews in the vicinity of the airport and offered her a ride home, but she refused. A passenger in the vehicle testified they were in the same area a short time later when he saw what he believed was Okemow’s SUV through the trees and heard a car door slam — evidence, the prosecution suggested, Andrews had accepted a ride from Okemow.

Okemow’s mother testified her son showed up at her house hours later, “wet from the waist down,” and promptly washed his clothes.

Okemow, who was not living with his parents, “went upstairs, took a shower and changed his clothes and went downstairs and washed his clothes,” Myrna Okemow said.

Myrna Okemow said she had received a call earlier in the day from a band councillor, who said her SUV had been found in the west end of the community. She said police later came to her door looking for Michael Okemow in connection to a complaint he had tried to run somebody over.

Court heard testimony Okemow was involved in a fight early that morning and drove his vehicle at two people when they intervened.

Myrna Okemow testified she left the house as her son washed his clothes. “I was scared of Michael, the police were looking for him,” she said.

When she returned a half-hour later, he was gone, she said. He returned a short time later, wearing different clothes and shoes.

Myrna Okemow said when police returned and took her son away for questioning, she searched the basement and found his earlier clothes stashed in a box.

Okemow said she also received a phone call from her niece, saying Andrews was missing and people were saying Michael Okemow “had something to do with it.”

A month later, police executed a search warrant at the home, and found Okemow’s shoes hidden in a crawlspace.

Court heard the grooves on the shoes were consistent with bruising on Andrews’ body.

However, RCMP did not arrest Okemow until March 2018 — leaving some community members to accuse investigators of foot-dragging.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca