Suspect in death of three boys in Nelson House faces nine impaired driving charges

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This article was published 30/04/2018 (2951 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The suspect in a collision that killed three boys in Nelson House on the weekend had one previous conviction for impaired driving.

Todd Norman Linklater, 27, was scheduled to make his first court appearance before a judge in Thompson Monday.

RCMP released his name Monday along with a list of nine impaired driving charges he faces in relation to the death of the three boys, who were struck by a car and killed Saturday about 10:30 p.m. on Provincial Road 620 in Nelson House, 90 kilometres west of Thompson.

Two 11 year olds were walking, while a 13 year-old was on his bike when they were struck.

They were with a group of three other kids who witnessed the collision but were not themselves injured.

The accused initially fled the scene, but turned himself into police around midnight, 90 minutes after the collision. RCMP determined was driving a car with four passengers.

Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Marcel Moody posted a poignant tribute to the boys on the community’s Facebook page; at the same time, he pleaded for unity in the community of 4,600, located 850 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Moody identified the boys as Mateo Moore-Spence, 11, and his friends Terrence Spence, 11, and Keithan Lobster, 13. They were well known and well liked, he said.

“They spent a lot of time playing with many of our kids. They often played my place with my grandkids. They were good kids who loved to have fun. They looked forward to being able to ride their bikes and hang out with their friends,” Moody said.

“Today we are all wondering how to tell our kids and grandkids that their friends have passed on.”

Both the accused driver and the boys who died are members of the same First Nation, a emotionally charged factor that will make grieving and healing all the harder, the chief said.

“There is no way to make sense of such a horrible tragedy. All of us are affected as we are friends and family of the three boys, or we are friends of their families,” Moody wrote in the post.

Court records show Linklater pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle while impaired nearly a decade ago. He was prohibited from driving for 12 months.

He has four other unrelated convictions for assault, mischief and uttering threats that date back to 2010, and faces two outstanding charges laid last July for mischief and assault with a weapon.

At Nelson House, the community planned a vigil at the accident scene Monday evening.

“Some of our families are doubly affected as they are related to the boys and to the driver of vehicle involved in the accident,” Moody noted in his post.

In addition to the vigil, various counselling initiatives were being planned to help the community deal with the grief.

“More than ever we must come together as a community and help each other make it through this senseless tragedy,” Moody wrote.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde also issued condolences Sunday.

At NCN, a memorial board was set up for the community to share photos and memories of the three boys.

 

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca