The names of the victim and the accused in a murder case south of Lloydminster have been released.
According to a detailed police statement put out by the Saskatchewan RCMP on Friday morning, the man charged with the second degree murder of Johan Klassen Sr., a 53 year old man from Kerrobert, Sask, is 26 year old Johan Klassen Jr.
The incident unfolded after the Kindersley RCMP received a report of a stolen semi from a farm yard north of Kerrobert. The person who reported the theft gave a description of the stolen vehicle, the suspect, and the direction of travel. Shortly after that call, another complaint was received of a sudden death in Kerrobert, where Klassen Sr. was later found by police.
A search for the person of interest in relation to the semi theft and the sudden death began immediately, with assistance from neighbouring police detachments. The vehicle was located in a slough, northwest of Luseland, in the RM of Heart’s Hill, in four feet of water.
The man inside the vehicle refused to exit, and the scene was contained by police. The Saskatchewan RCMP Emergency Response Team was also brought in to the incident to assist. In the early afternoon, the man was safely taken into custody.
Klassen Jr., a resident of Kerrobert, has now been charged with one count of second degree murder. He will make his first appearance in court today at 9 a.m. The RCMP investigation into the matter is ongoing, with the assistance of the Major Crimes Unit, the Saskatoon and North Battleford forensics units, and the General Investigative Section teams of Regina, Saskatoon, and North Battleford.