Arrest made and charge laid in 2008 homicide investigation

Edmonton police collaborated with Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police to arrest four people involved in an alleged extortion scheme.

Edmonton police have arrested and charged a man, five years after a man was fatally stabbed on the city’s north side.

Investigators said a 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with second degree murder Thursday, in connection to the death of Andrew Frang, 25, on November 9, 2008.

Just after midnight that day, police said Frang left a pub with his girlfriend – the couple was planning to walk to a nearby restaurant in the area of 118 Avenue and 124 Street.

The couple walked past two youths, who were allegedly drinking in public, and asked them for a cigarette – the couple ignored the question, and the teens followed them.

It’s believed an argument started, and quickly escalated – in the end, Frang was fatally stabbed.

"Unfortunately for Mr. Frang, this was a random act of violence that was totally unnecessary, and he paid the ultimate price for this," Staff Sgt. Dave Christoffel said Friday.

At the time, EPS said evidence was submitted for DNA analysis, but testing yielded no matches; and there was insufficient evidence to allow investigators to move forward with the case.

Then, investigators got a break in the case in early January, 2011, when a suspect gave DNA evidence on an unrelated case – which also matched DNA gathered as evidence in 2008.

After some investigation, a male suspect was arrested Thursday, December 12, 2013.

The name of the accused can’t be disclosed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, as he was 16-years-old at the time of the homicide.

With files from David Ewasuk