Nathan Waditaka's case will be tried by judge and jury at Prince Albert Court of Queen's Bench. (File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Court proceedings

Trial dates set for Wahpeton murder case

Dec 13, 2021 | 8:00 AM

Nearly two years after a young man’s death at Wahpeton Dakota Nation, trial dates have now been set in the case.

Nathan Waditaka, 21, is accused of killing Zellall Highway. He’s also charged with the assault and sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl.

At the conclusion of a pre-trial conference Friday at Prince Albert Court of Queen’s Bench, it was determined that the trial by judge and jury would be held between Oct. 17 and Oct. 28.

On December 26, 2019, the Prince Albert RCMP responded to a report of an injured 17-year-old girl at the Wahpeton Dakota Nation Health Centre.

After they arrived the investigators found her injuries were due to an assault. They then returned to the residence on the reserve where the assault happened

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At the residence they found 19-year-old Zellall Highway suffering from life-threatening injuries. Highway was quickly transported to the local health clinic where he was later pronounced deceased.

Waditaka, who was 19 at the time, was found at a nearby residence, arrested, and transported to hospital to be treated for his own injuries obtained during the incident.

While he was initially charged with second-degree murder, it was changed to manslaughter at a hearing last February.

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell