In a statement to CityNews, Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said it would \u201ccooperate fully\u201d with the ASIRT investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are committed to strengthening our relationship with the Crown and improving collaboration and accountability within the justice system,\u201d the police service wrote.<\/p>\n
In the letter, the EPS expressed \u201cshock and horror\u201d in learning the Crown agreed to accept a guilty plea for manslaughter from Ashley Rattlesnake, who was charged with murder in the blunt trauma death of eight-year-old Nina Napope Dumais.<\/p>\n
Rattlesnake was charged after Nina\u2019s body was found in a hockey bag in the back of a truck on the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, south of Edmonton, in 2023.<\/p>\n
Warren Driechel, who was the acting police chief at the time, argued a reduced sentence didn\u2019t match the crime. He said police tried hard to get answers but didn\u2019t hear back from prosecutors, calling the letter a \u201clast resort.\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter, signed by Driechel, said a light sentence would be a travesty of justice and could prompt police to release details of the killing so the public can decide if justice has been served.<\/p>\n
The move challenged the traditional firewall that separates police, who investigate a case, from prosecutors, who determine how best to proceed with the case in court.<\/p>\n
The plea deal was not stopped, and Rattlesnake received an eight-year prison sentence on Feb. 27. The judge who sentenced her \u201cidentified potential misconduct associated with the letter,\u201d according to the police watchdog.<\/p>\n
\u201cASIRT\u2019s role is to provide independent oversight when serious or sensitive questions arise about police conduct. This investigation will be conducted carefully, fairly and without predetermined conclusions,\u201d said Matthew Block, ASIRT\u2019s acting executive director, on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur responsibility is to follow the evidence, assess the matter within our mandate and provide the public with confidence that the process is independent.\u201d<\/p>\n
ASIRT is a branch of the Police Review Commission (PRC).<\/p>\n
\u201cOn June 8, 2026, Alberta\u2019s Police Review Commission advised the Edmonton Police Commission that it had commenced a Level 1 Investigation into the Edmonton Police Service\u2019s September 8, 2025 letter to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service,\u201d PRC Chair Ben Henderson said in a brief statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been assigned to investigate. Under the Police Act, Level 1 matters include incidents involving serious injury or death, as well as serious or sensitive allegations involving police conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
Court heard Nina had been living with Rattlesnake since September 2022.<\/p>\n
The woman had been drinking alcohol and using methamphetamine the night Nina was found lying on the floor, bleeding next to a hole in the wall. Court was told Rattlesnake didn\u2019t call 911 and instead asked acquaintances for help.<\/p>\n
An autopsy showed Nina was chronically abused. She had previous, multiple broken bones and injuries. She also had sepsis because of an untreated infected broken tooth, which reduced her chances of surviving the head injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts remain with the Napope family, who we will support as they continue to mourn Nina\u2019s loss,\u201d Edmonton police told CityNews Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u2013With files from The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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