June bail hearing for man accused in Iqaluit teen’s murder 39 years ago
Killing of Mary Ann Birmingham remains unsolved nearly four decades later
Jopey Atsiqtaq enters Iqaluit court on Sept. 25, 2024, following his arrest in connection with the killing of Mary Ann Birmingham in 1986. On Tuesday, a judge scheduled a bail hearing to take place in June. (File photo by Arty Sarkisian)
The man charged with killing an Iqaluit teen 39 years ago will have a bail hearing in court next month.
Jopey Atsiqtaq is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 15-year-old Mary Ann Birmingham, who was found fatally stabbed inside her family’s home in 1986.
On Tuesday, Atsiqtaq participated in a Nunavut Court of Justice appearance through video call from the Iqaluit jail. It came one day after the 39-year anniversary of Birmingham’s death.
His lawyer Keir O’Flaherty and Crown prosecutor Emma Baasch met in the afternoon with Chief Justice Susan Cooper, who granted a full-day bail hearing, O’Flaherty said in court afterward.
Bail hearings determine whether an arrested person should be released from custody while awaiting trial.
Birmingham’s murder has remained unsolved for nearly four decades as family members and the RCMP continued to search for more information.
Birmingham was killed in her home at house 109C in Iqaluit on May 28, 1986, according to an RCMP unsolved murder webpage. She was alone at the time while her family was travelling outside the community.
Atsiqtaq, who appeared frail with long, greying hair at a previous court appearance, was arrested in September in Ottawa.
He was previously convicted of the murders of Pootoogoo Eyesiak, 21, and his mother, Oolayou Eyesiak, 51, in Iqaluit in 1986.
Atsiqtaq was also previously charged with Birmingham’s murder, but the charge was dismissed following a preliminary hearing.
Atsiqtaq’s bail hearing is scheduled for June 19 in Iqaluit.
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