Man charged with murder in burning-body slaying accused in recent stabbings

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This article was published 05/05/2023 (1122 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man who was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday after a burning body was found in a Point Douglas warehouse parking lot last week is also suspected in two separate stabbings.

Emergency crews were sent to the gravel parking lot near MacDonald Avenue and Gomez Street at about 1 a.m. on April 27, where they found the victim’s body on fire.

The lot is connected to a Gomez Street warehouse that backs onto the bank of the Red River. Police initially classified the death as suspicious, but homicide detectives were handling the case.

Police announced Friday morning that the death was a homicide and that the victim was a man.

A witness to the aftermath said last week the victim’s body was so charred it was unrecognizable as human remains. An autopsy was conducted but homicide detectives have not been able to identify the victim.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said the fire will form a “large part of the investigation” into the suspect.

“There’s enough evidence here to lay that second-degree murder charge against him in relation to the death of the unidentified male,” said Chancy.

“As far as the fire — I can’t conclusively say that he set the fire.”

Police arrested the suspect in the shocking slaying after a stabbing near Sargent Avenue and Furby Street Tuesday evening.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service personnel who were in that area on an unrelated call at about 6:20 p.m found a man suffering from upper-body stab wounds.

The 31-year-old man was transported to hospital in unstable condition and later upgraded to stable. Police said he refused to co-operate with investigators.

Patrol officers then went to an apartment block on the 500 block of Furby that police called an “involved residence” and found the stabbing suspect in a hallway.

Chancy alleged the suspect then charged at the officers while wielding a “sharp-edged weapon,” which led to a charge of assaulting a peace officer.

Police said he is also the suspect in a stabbing on the 100 block of Henry Street on April 26. A 51-year-old man suffered upper-body injuries and was transported to hospital in unstable condition and later upgraded to stable.

The suspect was charged in the homicide on Wednesday while in custody for the two stabbings.

“It’s very concerning for us, that we have a male suspect that we have learned was involved in two serious assaults with an edged weapon, and also a homicide, and this all happened within a short period of time,” said Chancy.

“We were able to get him off the streets.”

Tyrus Mann, 23, of Winnipeg, is charged with second-degree murder, assault causing bodily harm, assaulting a peace officer, carrying a concealed weapon, prohibited device or ammunition and failing to comply with conditions of an undertaking — specifically that he not possess weapons.

Court records show that undertaking was granted in April for outstanding charges including mischief. Mann has just one prior criminal conviction in the province.

In February 2018, shortly after he turned 18, he was convicted in provincial court of assaulting a peace officer, records show. He was sentenced to three months in jail. Further details of that offence were not immediately available Friday.

Homicide detectives have asked for the public’s help in identifying the homicide victim. They don’t know his ethnicity, but he was about six feet in height and had no upper teeth. He underwent a medical facial procedure at some point, the WPS said.

“There’s limited information available to us, partly due to the condition of the deceased. However, there is some information there that may be pertinent, that may be able to identify the victim,” said Chancy.

He noted there’s a possibility people who live in Point Douglas or surrounding areas or frequent them may have known the victim.

Police are asking anyone with information about the victim, or video security footage from homes or businesses, to call 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

The parking-lot slaying is the second homicide in the area in recent weeks in which police weren’t immediately able to identify the victim.

A community member walking in the area discovered the partial remains of a homicide victim on the nearby edge of the Red River April 15.

Police have not yet publicly identified the remains, which were wrapped in plastic in a wooded section of riverbank near Curtis Street and Higgins Avenue.

Police believe the victim was a woman, more than 20 years old, between five feet and fivefeet, five inches tall, with a slight build and short, dark hair.

erik.pindera@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @erik_pindera