Two more people have been charged in relation with a homicide that took place in 2018 in a community east of Calgary.
On Nov. 26, 2018, Chestermere RCMP were called a home in the area of West Lakeview Drive and West Creek Mews.
An altercation took place inside the home and one man was shot, according to RCMP. Dennis Lewis, 41, was taken to hospital with serious injuries where he later died.
In March 2021, the RCMP Major Crimes Unit charged 37-year-old Richard Michael Sikora, of Calgary, with second-degree murder. At the time, police said they believed others were involved in the homicide.
In April, 36-year-old Joseph Pillay was arrested in Vancouver and charged with first-degree murder.
In a news release Tuesday morning, RCMP said two additional people have been charged in relation to the homicide.
Jacob Tolchinsky, 29, and Justin Gittens, 37, both of Calgary, are charged with first-degree murder.
Insp. Rick Jané, the operations officer for the RCMP serious crimes branch in southern Alberta, said it was a lengthy investigation that led to charges against all four individuals alleged to have been involved.
“In this case, we had a home invasion involving four masked individuals. The process did rely on a lengthy investigation involving the police gathering forensics, video evidence from surveillance video — both commercial and private surveillance videos,” Jané said.
“We were fortunate in this investigation to find a suspect vehicle early in the investigation that yielded evidence as well.”
Jané said it’s not believed the homicide was targeted, alleging the motive was robbery.
“He was not known to these individuals.”
Tolchinsky and Gittens remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in Calgary Provincial Court on May 4.
Chestermere is a bedroom community of Calgary, located just east of the city.
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