Tristan Chaboyer became a father when he was 19 and on Oct. 24, would have celebrated his 29th birthday (Prince Albert Police Service)

By Nigel Maxwell

Court proceedings

Accessory in Prince Albert murder case receives thank you from victim’s family

Oct 12, 2024 | 2:00 PM

Editor’s note: the following story contains graphic descriptions of violence some readers may be sensitive to.

A man credited with being the reason a missing man’s remains were found, had tears in his eyes when he faced the victim’s family and apologized.

Kyle Charles, who entered a guilty plea last September to a charge of accessory after the fact, appeared Friday afternoon at Prince Albert Provincial Court. Having been in custody for roughly 14 months, he was granted time served and will now be on probation for two years.

The 46-year-old was one of three men charged in the death of Tristan Chaboyer who was initially reported missing in September 2020. Almost a year later, his remains were found in a wooded area outside Prince Albert.

According to the agreed statement of facts, sometime between Sept. 4, 2020, and Sept.9, 2020, Charles was persuaded by an acquaintance to drive Harley Bear and Allan Genereaux to a house on 17th St. W. He was also instructed not to ask any questions.

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At the residence, while Charles sat in the vehicle, Bear and Genereau went inside and retrieved Chaboyer’s dead body from the basement. The body, which was wrapped in a rug, was then tossed into the back of the red truck and Charles was instructed to drive to the wooded area.

“He didn’t know who was in it,” Crown Prosecutor Keith Amyotte explained, adding Charles only realized there was a possible body in the vehicle when he began to smell something bad. Out of fear, he did not ask any questions.

Upon arriving at the destination, roughly 22 km east of the city, Bear and Genereaux took the body into the woods where Genereaux lit the body on fire. Charles then drove the two men back to Prince Albert and was paid in drugs and cash.

A wooden cross marks the area where Chaboyer’s remains were found. (submitted photo)

Amyotte shared that after Charles learned what happened and what he was involved in, he eventually turned himself in and told police where the body was.

“I strongly suspect [the body] may never have been found,” Amyotte noted about Charles’s role in the investigation.

Victim impact statements

Fighting back tears, Chaboyer’s mother Debbie read from a typed statement she had prepared. It was the same statement she’d read from the previous sentencing hearings for Harley Bear and Allan Genereaux.

Acknowledging her son had become involved with drugs and gangs, she said he did not deserve to be murdered.

“My son had a good heart,” she said through tears, noting she had always been there to protect him. “[The day he was murdered], I could not protect him from the pain he was going to endure.”

Dr. Marlene Nicholls is Tristan’s aunt and helped lead the search effort. Standing a few feet from Charles, she turned towards him and thanked him for providing the information to police.

“I’m sure it was hard for you, but it was hard for us too,” she said.

“I just pray for you. Thank you.”

Defence lawyer Tim Nolan explained Charles, who was struggling at the time of Chaboyer’s death with addictions issues, had recently been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy and was focused now on a future that involves counselling vulnerable kids.

“Today is a difficult day for everybody,” Nolan added, acknowledging the strength it took for the family to say thank you.

Standing in the prisoner’s box, Charles apologized to the Chaboyer family.

“I knew Tristan and after I found out it was him, it was the hardest thing I had to live with,” he said.

Charles also explained he went to school with Tristan’s dad and had hung out with him after the incident.

“How do you say you’re sorry to a friend you did this to,” he said. “When is the right time to say I’m sorry?”

Charles then added he hopes to use his experience to help dissuade young kids from getting involved in drugs and alcohol.

Judge Healey, who accepted the joint submission presented by the lawyers, noted it was impossible not to be moved by the words of the family.

“It’s hard to fathom how it would impact you as a parent,” he said.

While noting Charles’s cooperation with police did not excuse his actions, Healey also gave Charles credit for what he did and encouraged him to stay on a positive path not just for his own sake, but also for the Chaboyer family.

Conditions of Charles’s probation include abstaining from drugs and alcohol, counselling and 90 hours of community service.

Harley Bear’s matter was resolved last month with a three-year prison sentence. Allan Genereaux, who was believed to have been the one to light the body on fire, received a similar sentence when he appeared in court earlier this month.

The person responsible for murdering Chaboyer has not been found, and Police Chief Patrick Nogier confirmed to paNOW that the investigation is ongoing.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell