Preliminary hearing for Rankin Inlet man charged with murder delayed to September
Jack Ekwalak charged in June 2024 death of woman
Jack Ekwalak of Rankin Inlet is charged with first-degree murder in the death of a woman there last year. He appeared in court in Iqaluit on Tuesday. (File photo)
A preliminary hearing Tuesday for a Rankin Inlet man charged with first-degree murder was adjourned until September.
Jack Ekwalak, 43, was charged in June 2024 in Rankin Inlet after RCMP discovered the body of a woman, later identified as Tracey Netser. About seven hours after police advised hamlet residents to shelter in place while they searched for the suspect, Ekwalak surrendered to RCMP.
Ekwalak, who has closely-cut hair and a moustache, appeared in court in Iqaluit in front of Justice Susan Charlesworth. Several members of Netser’s family joined the proceedings by Zoom.
The three-day preliminary hearing, scheduled to start Tuesday, determines whether evidence supports proceeding to a trial. Details of evidence presented at the hearing are protected under a court-ordered publication ban.
Charlesworth agreed to adjourn the hearing until September so the defence can have more time to go over evidence.
Netser’s death devastated Rankin Inlet and forced the local beer and wine store to close for several days to allow residents “to recover from recent incidents,” a Finance Department spokesperson said at the time.
It also prompted a petition to permanently close the store. As of August, more than 300 people had signed the petition.
A first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Ekwalak is scheduled to be back in court in Iqaluit on Sept. 8.
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