Phillip “Philly” Okemow was found deceased in August, 2023. (Facebook)

By Nigel Maxwell

Court proceedings

Trial date secured for Emma Lake murder case

Dec 28, 2024 | 3:00 PM

A trial date has now been secured for a man accused of committing second-degree murder.

Wesley Naytowhow will appear at Court of King’s Bench in Prince Albert on April 11, 2025.

That was the outcome of a pre-trial hearing held on Dec. 20.

On August 21, 2023, RCMP responded to a report of an unresponsive man in Emma Lake. There, they found Philip Okemow’s body in an outdoor location at MacIntosh Point. Three months later, Naytowhow was arrested and a not-guilty plea followed in March of this year.

The relationship between the two men is unclear at this time, beyond the fact they are both from Sturgeon Lake First Nation.

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At the time of Okemow’s death, he was on a temporary absence from Correctional Service Canada, and his mother posted to social media that her son had walked away from Sturgeon Lake First Nation.

The following day, she made a plea for her son to call her.

The funeral service was held at James Smith Cree Nation.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell