Jeremy Starblanket (Facebook)

By Nigel Maxwell

Unsolved cases

Prince Albert homicide victim remembered as good student, competitive athlete

Apr 1, 2021 | 5:00 PM

Near two weeks have passed since a home in Prince Albert’s midtown area burned to the ground, and the body of a young man was found inside.

Jeremy Starblanket, 29, was from Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation. Speaking to paNOW on the condition his name not be published, Starblanket’s father recalled the last conversation he had with his son in late February, when he picked him up from jail.

“He had talked about wanting to straighten his life out, to try and make amends with some people he had stirred up trouble with,” the father said.

“This kid had a killer smile and wanted nothing more than to be liked” _{– Shaun Sasakamoose, Principal Ahtahkakoop High School}

At the time of the house fire on March 20, residents in the area of the 500 block of fifth St. E., reported hearing an explosion and several popping sounds then saw a bunch of black smoke. The Prince Albert Fire Department later confirmed the single family bungalow was found fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived. The father said the family has not heard any more details from police.

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“I’ve just been dealing with it day-to-day,” he said. “I imagine they are working on it but it takes time.”

Growing up, the father recalled Starblanket loved to play sports. Hockey, volleyball, basketball and soccer were among his passions, but he was also involved in track meets and the martial arts.

“All in all I figured he had like 400 trophies and medals,” the father recalled. “He was a great athlete.”

The father also said his son was also a good worker, citing work he had done roofing in Saskatoon, but he was also skilled with mechanics and carpentry.

“He would phone me from time to time, and ask ‘do you have any work,’ and I always had work for him,” he said. “He would come work all day.”

Starblanket always made time for family and shared many pictures of his closest loved ones on his social media account. (Facebook)

Based on some pictures from Starblanket’s social media activity, there are suggestions he was involved at one time with street gangs. Not knowing what point his son may have been involved or to what extent, the father said he believed his son “met the wrong people and things progressed from there.” The father also revealed Starblanket had three young children.

Shaun Sasakamoose, the Principal at Ahtahkakoop High School, expressed to paNOW that school staff were still in shock and trying to find meaning in this “senseless act.” Sasakamosse recalled Starblanket was a quiet and well mannered student, who excelled in school.

“I have had the opportunity to have Jeremy as a student in one of my classes and he was quite competitive, making sure he was the first to complete any assignments with the highest possible marks he could achieve,” Sasakmoose said.

Sasakamoose also recalled Starblanket was well-liked by all staff, had a great attendance record, and never caused any problems.

“Jeremy’s parents invested a great deal of time making sure he was happy and had every opportunity to achieve success. This kid had a killer smile and wanted nothing more than to be liked and take care of his friends,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Prince Albert Police Service confirmed their investigation is still ongoing. In the meantime, they ask that anyone who has information about this incident contact police.

Investigators have specifically been asking for video surveillance footage from the area on Saturday, March 20, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

–

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell