An Edmonton man has been charged with second degree murder in relation to a death in Jasper on the weekend.
Alcohol and noise appear to have been at the root of a violent confrontation at the Tonquin Inn.
The victim, identified by friends and family as 22-year-old Kenzie John Beaton, was stabbed inside the hotel at about 4 a.m. Saturday.
He was airlifted to hospital in Edmonton, where he died on Saturday night.
Get daily National news
21-year-old Cody Kyle Jensen, from Edmonton, was arrested at the scene and charged with second-degree murder. He is in custody and is slated to appear in court in Jasper on Feb. 9.
Jasper RCMP Sgt. Dave Maludzinski said the two groups involved in the confrontation did not appear to know each other.
“The only relation they had is that they were in hotel rooms beside each other,” Maludzinski said. He described the fatal 4 a.m. altercation as being caused by “something to do with alcohol and being loud.”
Reached at a home in Mabou, Nova Scotia, a member of Beaton’s family declined an interview, saying only that Kenzie was “wonderful.”
The death has been a shock to residents of the small, close-knit Cape Breton community, where Beaton and his family are well-known.
“It’s tragic. Terrible,” said one family friend, who asked not to be named. “There’s no words really.”
He described Kenzie as a well-liked and well-respected young man.
The RCMP’s major crimes investigators are in Jasper looking into the case.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.