Man on Canada’s most wanted list returns to Saskatoon to face murder charge

Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron, 33, is a suspect in a homicide that occurred May 19 in the 700 Block of Melrose Avenue. (Saskatoon Police Service)

A man who took the 10th spot of Canada’s 25 Most Wanted List for murder and drug trafficking charges in Saskatoon in 2022, appeared in court Friday.

Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron, 36, was arrested on Aug. 9 at Montreal’s Trudeau Airport and has been returned to Saskatoon to face a first-degree murder charge, along with multiple other charges, in the Court of King’s Bench.

“In early August, SPS Major Crime investigators learned that Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron, 36-years-old, was in Mexico. In coordination with the RCMP, arrangements were made for him to return to Canada, and on August 9th, he was arrested by police in Montreal,” the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) said in a news release.

Ouellet-Gendron was wanted by Saskatoon police since May 2022 in connection to the death of a 29-year-old man in the 700 block of Melrose Avenue on May 19, 2022.

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He was added to the Bolo Program -- a list identifying the top 25 most wanted fugitives in Canada -- in May 2023, taking the 10th spot.

Ouellet-Gendron is also facing additional charges related to cocaine trafficking, firearm offenses, and possession of forged identity documents.

Last year, Mohamed Abdula Ali was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the case.

Late last year, Saskatoon police posted an eight-minute video on YouTube about their response and investigation into the homicide. It included dashcam video from a police cruiser arriving at the scene, where a person in the corner of the frame can be seen performing chest compressions on a person on the ground.

There’s also video of officers with rifles arriving at the scene and more video of officers clearing units in the apartment building. Still photos of handguns are shown, and the video said three firearms were recovered in the hours after the investigation began.

--With files from Canadian Press