City police seek third suspect in February slaying

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This article was published 05/04/2022 (1310 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg homicide investigators have made a second arrest in a February slaying on Furby Street, while a third suspect yet remains at large.

Heather Marie Cheyane Beardy, 26, of Winnipeg, was found dead in an apartment on the 400 block of Furby Street on the afternoon of Feb. 2.

Police have not revealed the circumstances of her death.

All three co-accused in the slaying have prior criminal convictions, including for theft, assault and uttering threats, court records reviewed by the Free Press show.

On Tuesday, city police said officers had arrested Tanisha Caitlin Flett, 26, at the Winnipeg courthouse March 15. She had been identified as an additional suspect during the homicide unit’s investigation, police said.

Flett is charged with second-degree murder. Her next court appearance is April 25.

Flett has twice been convicted of uttering threats. In June 2015, she was sentenced to 20 days in custody for a July 2014 offence. On July 15, 2015, she was again convicted of uttering threats for an offence days prior. She served three days, and got 18 months of unsupervised probation.

On Feb. 28, investigators arrested Amos Joe Kematch, 27, police said last month. He’s been charged with second-degree murder. His next court appearance is April 8.

In May 2019, Kematch was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon and sentenced to five days in custody, along with nine months of unsupervised probation. In August 2020, he was convicted of an assault in May of that year, and sentenced to 30 days in custody.

As of Tuesday, homicide investigators were still seeking Leah Carol Clifton, 34, of Winnipeg, who is accused of second-degree murder.

She’s described as white, 5-6 and about 140 lbs. with a medium build. She has a tattoo that reads “RIP Dean” on the right side of her neck.

Police first put out the call for information on Clifton’s whereabouts March 10.

According to court documents, she has been sentenced for numerous theft-related charges and breaches of conditions. Clifton has outstanding charges for possessing property obtained by crime under $5,000 and two breaches of undertakings; she was charged Jan. 18 and is supposed to appear in court April 19.

During an August 2016 hearing for charges of break-and-enter theft and theft of a motor vehicle, Clifton was sentenced to 10 months total, less time in custody. Court heard, at the time, she had been addicted to drugs and alcohol since the age of 13.

Police have asked the public to call 911 if Clifton’s spotted. If anyone has information on her whereabouts, police ask the public to call the homicide unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera