Crown drops murder charge against 1 of 2 suspects in death of Nunavut boy

Crown prosecutors have stayed a murder charge against a Nunavut man related to the 2017 death of a 12-year-old boy in Rankin Inlet.

Glen Kadlak Jr. was originally charged with second-degree murder in October 2018. He was one of two people to be charged following a 15-month police investigation.

In an email, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada confirmed that the charge had been stayed, information first published by Nunatsiaq News.

“The Crown has concluded that effective September 20, 2022, there is no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction in this case,” Chief Federal Prosecutor Philippe Plourde wrote.

Plourde writes that the Crown discussed the case with the victim’s family. The name of the victim and that of the second person charged in this case are protected by a publication ban.

« No matter what happened, nothing will ever bring the young child back. His family and community must live with his tragic absence forever, » Plourde wrote.

He did not explain why the Crown determined there was no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction.

A stay of charges means the court case is put on hold. The Crown usually has a year to resume prosecution, but in most cases this does not happen.

Plourde said the suspension has no bearing on the case against Kadlak’s co-defendant.

This case went to trial in September. Nunavut Judge Susan Cooper is expected to deliver her verdict on October 31.