Edmonton woman Tiki Laverdiere, 25, was last seen in North Battleford before her remains were discovered outside the city in 2019. (Supplied photo/Battlefords RCMP)

By Angela Brown

RCMP Investigation

Trial postponed for accused in Tiki Laverdiere homicide case

Jan 9, 2023 | 11:01 AM

The trial that was supposed to start this week for one of the accused facing charges in the death of Tiki Laverdiere has been delayed.

Jesse Sangster, 26, of Edmonton, Alta., is facing charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body, and theft of a motor vehicle.

He was originally scheduled for a four-week non-jury trial at the Court of King’s Bench in Battleford, to begin Jan. 9. The start has now been moved to a date still to be determined. Sangster is scheduled for a private pre-trial meeting on Jan. 13.

Crown lawyers Chris Browne and Charlotte Morden are prosecuting the case, with the defence lawyer still to be determined.

The Crown advised Sangster’s previous lawyer is no longer handling the case. So, the accused will need to find a new lawyer.

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

Another accused, Nicole Cook, 39, from Edmonton, Alta., is facing charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, improperly interfering with a human body, and theft of a motor vehicle. She is scheduled for a six-week trial with judge and jury starting March 6, 2023. Browne and Morden are both prosecuting that case as well. Cook retained Brian Pfefferle as her lawyer.

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

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

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow