Three charged in 2022 Brandon slaying

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This article was published 12/09/2023 (906 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three men have been charged in the “calculated and planned” killing of a man whose remains were found in the trunk of a burnt car on the outskirts of Brandon last fall.

RCMP arrested the trio Monday for the slaying of James Vernon Giesbrecht, 37, major crimes Supt. Rob Lasson said at a news conference Tuesday.

The three men were arrested at different correctional institutions in the province. Two were on remand awaiting trial on unrelated charges; one was serving a sentence for an unrelated drug trafficking conviction, RCMP said.

Giesbrecht was killed in a home in Brandon the early morning hours of Oct. 13, 2022, before his body was placed in a stolen vehicle and driven outside of the city, police said.

“James knew his killers and he was lured to his death,” Lasson said, describing the fatal incident as “calculated and planned.”

Two of the three accused have been charged with first-degree murder. The third accused is charged with second-degree murder.

“Investigators worked a complex set of circumstances to meet the (evidence) threshold to lay these very serious charges,” said Lasson, adding assistance from Brandon city police and other law enforcement agencies was invaluable.

“Ultimately, RCMP found those responsible, but for James’s loved ones, we realize this is only small consolation. Our condolences do go out to all those who knew him.”

The three accused and Giesbrecht were acquaintances in the western Manitoba city’s drug subculture, said Sgt. Richard Sherring, lead investigator on the case.

Sherring would not reveal what RCMP believe motivated the slaying, citing the integrity of the investigation, but did say the three accused both used and sold unspecified street drugs.

On Oct. 13, Mounties found human remains in the trunk of a fire-damaged 2007 Honda Accord in the Rural Municipality of Cornwallis.

Giesbrecht was reported missing to Brandon Police Service in December.

Giesbrecht, who had been homeless in the past, would occasionally be out of contact with family for periods of time, Sherring said.

Lasson said Giesbrecht was a proud father who worked hard to support and spend time with his loved ones. A family member said he was born in Winnipeg and raised in The Pas, before moving to Brandon about 15 years ago.

Sherring said investigators met Monday with Giesbrecht’s mother, father and brother. “They were very happy with the outcome but, of course, they have a lot of healing to do on their own. It’s going to be an ongoing process for them.”

In January, investigators at the RCMP’s Ottawa forensics laboratory identified the remains found in the vehicle as belonging to Giesbrecht.

By then, Mounties, working with forensic anthropologists and investigators from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, had deemed the case a homicide.

Investigators determined the Accord was stolen in Regina, and were able to identify the person responsible for the theft, police said.

That person was not involved in Giesbrecht’s death, police said, as one of the three accused had stole the vehicle from them at a later point.

RCMP had issued several pleas to the public for help in solving the crime. DNA analysis of the vehicle also helped Mounties find the suspects, Lasson said.

Joseph Lindsay, 36, was arrested at Stony Mountain Institution and charged with first-degree murder.

He’s been serving a federal sentence of 30 months for drug trafficking since April, court records show. His past convictions, which date to 2006, include drug trafficking, forcible entry, firearms and weapons offences, and theft.

Redstone Wombdiska, 28, was arrested at Headingley jail and charged with first-degree murder.

He was on remand since February for three alleged assaults and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon, records show. His record, dating to 2012, includes multiple assault convictions.

Christopher Cutlip, 40, was arrested at the Brandon jail and charged with second-degree murder.

He’s been on remand for more than 40 alleged weapons and firearms offences, as well as drug trafficking and failures to comply, since July.

Mounties said a fourth man believed to have been involved in the slaying had died before he could be arrested.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca