Nikita Cook's trial starts Sept. 7. (Submitted photo/RCMP)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Homicide Investigation

Nikita Cook trial begins for charges related to Tiki Laverdiere death

Sep 7, 2021 | 8:00 AM

The trial for one of the individuals accused in the Tiki Laverdiere homicide investigation starts Tuesday at Queen’s Bench Court in Battleford.

Nikita Cook, 33, of Onion Lake Cree Nation, is facing charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping.

She previously elected for trial by judge alone.

She was originally scheduled to stand trial starting Jan. 11 but the date was moved to Aug. 30 due to COVID-19 precautions. The trial was then rescheduled again to start Sept. 7. It is expected to run for five weeks.

The court has ordered a publication ban on all details of the trial proceedings, including evidence and victim impact statements, until the judge or jury, depending on the matter, involving all the accused individuals have retired to consider their verdict.

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Six other accused are also still facing charges connected to Laverdiere’s death.

Jesse Sangster, Danita Thomas, Shayla Orthner, Soaring Eagle Whitstone, and Nicole Cook are charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body and theft of a motor vehicle.

Jesse Sangster is scheduled for a trial with judge and jury, starting Jan. 9, 2023 at Queen’s Bench Court.

Danita Thomas is set for a jury trial from Jan. 24 to March 4, 2022.

Shayla Orthner is scheduled for a jury trial from April 4 to May 6, 2022.

Soaring Eagle Whitstone was originally set for trial with a tentative start date of Aug. 29, 2022. The date has now been rescheduled to Sept. 6, 2022.

Nicole Cook is scheduled for a trial with judge and jury, starting Oct. 31, 2022.

Nicole is the mother of Tristen Cook-Buckle, whose funeral Laverdiere attended on April 27, 2019, on the Thunderchild First Nation.

Samuel Takakenew, 37, is charged with accessory after the fact to murder. After previously being granted bail in December 2020, he is next scheduled to appear in North Battleford court on Oct. 15, 2021 at 10 a.m. to be spoken to.

Three offenders have been sentenced for their charges.

Charles St. Savard was sentenced in Jan., 2021 after pleading guilty to kidnapping Laverdiere, with intent to cause her to be confined against her will. The charge of first-degree murder was stayed previously in October, 2020. St. Savard received two years less a day in custody for the kidnapping charge.

Brent Checkosis and Mavis Takakenew were sentenced in May of 2020 after both previously pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder. Checkosis received seven years in prison, while Mavis Takakenew was sentenced to 18 months incarceration.

Laverdiere, 25, was reported missing on May 12, 2019. She was last seen in North Battleford May 1, 2019. Her remains were found in a rural area outside North Battleford July 11, 2019, and confirmed to be the Edmonton woman on July 16 of that year.

The allegations against the accused individuals have not been proven in court.

–

Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow