One of the women convicted of murdering Tiki Laverdiere in 2019 has lost her appeal of her first degree murder conviction. (File Photo)

By Susan McNeil

Tiki Laverdiere murder

Whitstone loses appeal to reduce conviction for murder of Tiki Laverdiere

May 16, 2024 | 2:24 PM

Soaring Eagle Whitsone has lost her bid to reduce her conviction for the first-degree murder of Tiki Laverdiere to manslaughter.

Whitstone tried and failed to convince the Sask. Court of Appeals that she should have been convicted of the lesser charge.

She asserted that the trial judge erred in his assessment of the evidence of another gangster, Jesse Sangster and that a mistake was also made in determining whether Whitstone planned to cause Laverdiere’s death.

“In final submissions, Soaring Eagle conceded that she could be convicted of manslaughter but argued that she should not be found guilty of murder. The key consideration was intent,” reads the decision released from the high court on Thursday.

Writing the unanimous decision for the court, Justice J.A. Tholl pointed out the three elements of proving first-degree murder in this case; it must have been planned and deliberate, there was a kidnapping and Whitstone was associated with a criminal organization.

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Appeal court justices agree with the trial judge that Whitstone was the directing mind behind Laverdiere’s abduction, the subsequent three days of torture she endured and that she was a member of a criminal organization – the Indian Outlawz in Battlefords.

Whitstone did not deliver the fatal blow that ended the three days of suffering, but she had controlled what happened and had the power to stop it, Tholl said.

“Further, I agree with the trial judge that it does not matter who provided the knife or whether the knife that Soaring Eagle held against Tiki’s body during the walk to Residence 2 was the same knife that was used to cut Tiki’s throat. The evidence established that Nikita had used a knife to cut Tiki’s throat because she was instructed to do so by Soaring Eagle,” reads the decision.

All told, 10 people were involved in Laverdiere’s torture, death and the disposal of her remains near North Battleford in 2019.

In addition to Whitstone, Nikita Cooke was found guilty of first-degree murder.

Nicole Cook and Shayla Orthner both pleaded guilty to manslaughter and Danita Thomas was found guilty of the same charge following a trial.

Brent Checkosis, Mavis Takakenew and Samuel Takakenew pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder.

Charles St. Savard pleaded guilty to kidnapping.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com