Three people face charges in murder of Saint John man

Three charged in Saint John death The Saint John Police Force charged three people in connection to the death of a 52-year-old man in August.

Three people are facing charges in connection with the murder of 52-year-old Allan Lee, whose remains were found in Saint John, N.B., in the summer.

The Saint John Police Force arrested a 56-year-old man on Dec. 11 for accessory after the fact to murder. He is due in court on Dec. 27.

Police arrested a 44-year-old woman on Dec. 12 for first-degree murder and indignity to human remains. She is due in court on Jan. 10.

A 65-year-old man was arrested on Monday for conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact to murder. He is due in court on Dec. 27.

“I wouldn't say that it's uncommon to have multiple arrests in a homicide investigation,” Staff Sgt. Matthew Weir of the Saint John Police Force told CTV News on Wednesday.

“It depends on what had taken place at the incident and how it unfolded. It's not uncommon to have somebody that may be charged with homicide and others that were involved in the situation one way or the other.”

Police say the three accused remain in custody pending their court appearances. Their names have not been released at this time.

Weir wouldn’t confirm whether the victim and accused were known to one another. He also wouldn’t say whether police expect to make any additional arrests in the case.

“(The family) is totally grateful to the Saint John Police Force for their hard work and dedication in this case and getting justice for my Allan,” said Lee’s mother in a email to CTV News.

Human remains found in August

The charges come after police responded to a report of human remains in a wooded area off King William Road shortly after 7 p.m. on Aug. 1.

Police confirmed they were treating the person’s death as suspicious and called in the Major Crime Unit, forensics and coroner to assist in the investigation.

Investigators used police canine units, grid searches and aerial drone surveillance to search the area where the body was found.

“When we get these more serious and complex investigations, they can take a significant amount of time to unfold and follow the different investigative avenues that we have,” said Weir.

“For that reason, these types of investigations from our organization are pretty heavily resourced in regards to members and resources that we put into them.”

The remains were later identified as those of Allan Lee of Saint John and an autopsy confirmed his death was the result of a homicide.

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