THUNDER BAY - Defence counsel for a Thunder Bay man accused of killing a 14-year-old girl has requested a psychiatric assessment for his client.
Jarett Sainnawap, 21, was arrested on Tuesday, May 5, and charged with first-degree murder in the homicide case of Kayliegh Ivall.
He was the second person arrested after Thunder Bay Police Service identified a 14-year-old girl as a suspect and charged her with first-degree murder. The youth’s identity is protected in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Ivall’s body was found on April 27 in a wooded area of the city after she was last seen alive the day before near Claude E. Garton Public School in Thunder Bay.
Police say both accused persons are known to each other.
On Friday, May 8, defence counsel Gilbert Labine said a psychiatric assessment request for Sainnawap has been forwarded to personnel at the forensic mental health unit at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Psychiatric assessments are generally requested to determine an accused person’s ability to participate in criminal proceedings or to determine if a mental illness might have affected the accused person's actions at the time of the offence.
Sainnawap’s next court appearance is June 4.