Ont. man accused of murder in Barrie encampment investigation appears in court

Robert Ladouceur, 52, is at the centre of a homicide investigation in Barrie, Ont., facing charges of murder and indignity to a body.

Robert Ladouceur appeared in court on Friday charged with first and second-degree murder and two counts of indignity to a body in connection with a missing person report and Barrie homeless encampment investigation.

Ladouceur, also known as ‘Tattoo Rob,’ made a virtual appearance from Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene wearing an orange jumpsuit.

The 52-year-old man was arrested earlier this month and had initially been charged with 19 offences, primarily weapons and drug-related, before Barrie police announced the new charges on Thursday in connection with a homicide investigation.

“This is something, obviously, that we didn’t expect to see or hear about,” said Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall on Friday regarding the homicide investigation.

“It’s something that I think is going to change the way things are done going forward,” the mayor stated pointing to encampments.

Barrie’s mayor has pushed for action at the provincial level to deal with encampments within municipalities.

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Ladouceur’s lawyer waived his rights during Friday’s proceedings to have a reading of all the counts, stating he was told about the new charges Thursday. Additionally, the court read names of 29 people Ladouceur is prohibited from contacting, to which he replied, “I don’t even know who they are.”

Police believe Ladouceur is responsible for the deaths of William ‘Blake’ Robinson, 45, and David Cheesequay, 41. They have not revealed a motive in the case or disclosed if it’s drug-related. It’s also unclear whether the men knew each other.

CTV News has learned Robinson and Cheesequay each had checkered pasts with criminal records. Most recently, in October 2024, Robinson faced charges of possession of drugs and trafficking, where Cheesequay faced charges in 2020 and 2021 related to drug possession, possession of stolen property and weapon possession.

Ladouceur remains in custody and is scheduled for his next court appearance on August 29. The allegations against him have not been tested in court.