Woman turns herself in, charged with murder for Melfort death

A 34-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection to a death in Melfort that the RCMP earlier deemed to be “suspicious”.

Candace Gail Moostoos, turned herself in to police and now faces a charge of second-degree murder.

The body of Alpheus Burns, 70, was discovered in his home in the early morning hours on Monday. 

Burns is a member of James Smith Cree Nation.

“He was my uncle and he was an elder of our community, he was a pipe carrier for our leadership,” said James Smith Chief Justin Burns.

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Chief Burns added that news of his uncle’s death hit the community very hard.

“He was a nice guy, he did a lot of ceremomies with a lot of our people back home, he got involved with our youth especially during our cultural days,” said Burns.

He said his uncle was also well-known outside James Smith, often travelling to other First Nations across the province to take part in ceremonies.

According to police, Burns and Moostoos were known to each other.

Moostoos made her first court appearance in Melfort Provincial Court Tuesday morning.

She remains in custody and will make her next appearance at Melfort Provincial Court on June 16.

jbowler@panow.com

On Twitter: @journalistjim