A 19-year-old man charged with second-degree murder, sexual assault and aggravated assault appeared in Prince Albert provincial court Feb. 14.
Nathan Waditaka is charged with the death of Zellall Highway and the assault and sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl.
According to Prince Albert RCMP, police were called to Wahpeton Dakota Nation Health Centre shortly after midnight on Dec. 26, 2019, following a complaint about a girl who was assaulted.
Upon arrival, investigators determined her injuries were the result of an assault and immediately attended the residence on the Wahpeton Dakota Nation where the assault occurred.
At the residence, police found Highway, 19, suffering from what appeared to be life-threatening injuries. Officers took him to the local clinic, where he was pronounced deceased by EMS.
RCMP identified Waditaka as a suspect and arrested him at a nearby residence. He had injuries and was taken by EMS to a Prince Albert hospital. The 17-year-old girl was also taken by EMS to hospital.
Waditaka remains in custody and reappears in Prince Albert provincial court March 10 to speak to the charges.
Lisa Joy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Battlefords Regional News-Optimist
