Accused in 1986 Iqaluit homicide denied bail
Jopey Atsiqtaq faces 2nd-degree murder charge in death of Mary Ann Birmingham, 15
Jopey Atsiqtaq appears in Iqaluit court in June to face a second-degree murder charge in the death of 15-year-old Mary Ann Birmingham in 1986. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
The man accused in the 1986 homicide of Iqaluit teen Mary Ann Birmingham has been denied bail.
“[Jopey] Atsiqtaq is detained in custody following the bail hearing decision issued on July 22, 2025,” said Nathalie Houle, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, in an email.
“A publication ban prevents us to provide more information about this matter.”
Atsiqtaq, who is in his early 60s, faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of 15-year-old Birmingham.
He was taken into custody last September, marking an update to a case that had gone cold for close to four decades.
This is the second time Atsiqtaq has been charged in the death of Birmingham. He was originally charged in 1986 but that charge was dismissed after a preliminary inquiry.
At the time of his arrest last year, he was on day parole in Ottawa. He was previously convicted in the murders of two other Iqaluit residents in 1986 and was serving a life sentence.
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