Brandon man 'lured to his death'; Manitoba RCMP charge three people

Two men have been charged with first-degree murder and a third with second-degree murder in the homicide of a Brandon man last year.

Manitoba RCMP announced the charges on Tuesday morning. The suspects were arrested in connection to the death of James Vernon Giesbrecht.

The victim’s remains were found in the trunk of a burned-out Honda Accord in the RM of Cornwallis on Oct. 13, 2022. RCMP, a forensic anthropologist, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner worked to identify the remains and the cause of death.

The death was ruled a homicide and the remains were identified in January 2023 – the month after Giesbrecht was reported missing.

“James Vernon Giesbrecht was only 37 when he died,” said Supt. Rob Lasson with the RCMP Major Crime Services.

“He lived in Brandon his whole life. He was a proud father, brother, son, who worked hard to support and spend time with his loved ones in Brandon.”

During the investigation, Mounties determined the Accord was stolen out of Regina. Police were able to identify the person who stole the car; however, they were not involved in the homicide. Investigators then learned one of the suspects gained possession of the stolen car.

With this information, RCMP put out pleas to the public for help and gained valuable information. RCMP criminal analysts then worked to find links to the suspects.

With the help of the Brandon Police Service, RCMP officers arrested three men on Monday.

Redstone Wombdiska, 28, was arrested at the Headingley Correctional Centre, and Joseph Lindsay, 36, was arrested at Stony Mountain Institution. These two men were charged with first-degree murder.

Christopher Cutlip, 40, was arrested at the Brandon Correctional Centre and charged with second-degree murder.

“To lay a first-degree murder charge, there’s a high threshold that needs to be met,” said Lasson said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“In the investigation we are discussing today, investigators worked a complex set of circumstances to meet the evidentiary threshold to secure these very serious charges.”

Lasson described the homicide as “calculated and planned.”

He said Giesbrecht and the suspects were known to each other and that the victim was “lured” to his death.

No other suspects are being sought out in connection with this homicide.

None of the charges have been proven in court. The three accused remain in custody. 

Manitoba RCMP announce first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of James Giesbrecht on Sept. 12, 2023. (Image source: Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg)