Nunavut court hears four homicide cases

Four men charged with homicide were among those who appeared at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit last week.

That includes two men accused of killing two women in separate, unrelated attacks.

Tommy Mucpa, 27, of Pond Inlet appeared before Justice Earl Johnson via video-feed from the Baffin Correctional Centre on Tuesday, July 16.

In 2017, police charged Mucpa with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 51-year-old Dorcas Erkloo.

Mucpa appeared in court on July 16 on a new charge, assault with a weapon.

According to court documents, police allege Mucpa attacked a man at the Baffin Correctional Centre on June 10 with a screw.

Lana Walker, appearing on behalf of Mucpa’s lawyer, Sara Siebert, said prosecutors had provided some material for review. She requested that Mucpa return to court on Aug. 13 by video-feed again.

Archie Kattuk, 28, of Sanikiluaq, also appeared in an Iqaluit courtroom by video-feed, from Makigarvik Correctional Centre, a minimum-security facility.

In 2017 police charged Kattuk in connection with the death of his common-law wife, who was 20 years old at the time of her death.

Upon arrest, Kattuk was medevaced to Winnipeg for treatment from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said after Kattuk’s arrest.

Kattuk appeared before Johnson on July 16 because he needs a new lawyer after his current lawyer left to take a new job, the court heard. Johnson scheduled Kattuk to appear again on Aug. 12 to set a trial date.

Another man from Sanikiluaq, Josie Takatak, appeared before Johnson on a homicide charge on July 16.

In 2018, police arrested Takatak, 36, and charged him with murder in connection with the stabbing death of another local man.

Before his arrest, Takatak barricaded himself in a home leading to a standoff that shut down the Belcher Island community of 900 for a day.

Takatak’s preliminary inquiry on the charge has been completed, Johnson heard in court. Takatak will appear in court again on Aug. 12 to a enter a plea, according to court documents.

Raymond Komak, 44, of Cambridge Bay also appeared before Johnson on July 16.

Police arrested Komak earlier this year and charged him with murder in connection with the death of a man in Cambridge Bay.

Komak’s lawyer, Rob Warren, said he has a “substantive amount of disclosure” from prosecutors still to review. Komak is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing on Aug. 16.