'Never should have happened': Father of woman found dead in house fire speaks out
Pat Murphy was driving to work on a Monday morning earlier this month when he got a devastating phone call.
The mother of his daughter, Shantelle Murphy, called to tell him the 32-year-old woman and her two young children had been found dead in a house fire in Portage la Prairie, Man.
Murphy recalled the conversation with The Canadian Press in a phone call from Cranbrook, B.C., where he lives.
When he thinks back to that moment, he said, the shock still clouds his memory.
"It's so fuzzy for me. Just hearing it, I didn't know what to do or say."
RCMP in Manitoba say officers responded to the fire in the small city, about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg, early on April 10. Once firefighters put out the flames, three people were found dead inside the home.
Police say an investigation determined the three had injuries that were not connected to the fire. Mounties confirmed their deaths to be the result of a homicide. RCMP have not released the cause of death.
Family identified the three as Murphy, her six-year-old daughter, Isabella, and her three-year-old son, Mason.
Police have charged Trevis McLeod, 50, with three counts of second-degree murder and one count of arson. He was arrested and taken into custody Friday after Winnipeg police officers found him in the city's downtown.
McLeod was the woman's partner and the children's father.
Murphy said his daughter and McLeod started dating about six or seven years ago after they met in Calgary.
He met McLeod less than a handful of times, but had concerns about abuse, he said.
"I thought there might be, but nothing could be proved," he said. "There was never really any sign of it, but it was (a) father's instinct.
"I tried for years to get her away from him."
The charges against McLeod have not been proven in court.
Shantelle Murphy grew up in Calgary and Airdrie, Alta., before she moved around with McLeod.
Murphy said his daughter's life was filled with many happy memories.
"(She was) just a beautiful little girl when she was younger. Always bubbly (and) happy. Just full of life."
He said she passed that on to Isabella and Mason. He recalled the two as being "always curious" about the world around them.
Murphy last spoke with his daughter about seven months ago while she was living with McLeod and the kids in Ontario.
He said the two had a great conversation and she appeared to be in good spirits.
"It was wonderful. We chatted for an hour and laughed."
McLeod is also facing assault charges in Portage la Prairie related to a separate matter the same day as the fire. He has been ordered to refrain from contacting five people.
Court records from 2004 show McLeod has a history of domestic violence in a previous relationship. A woman filed for a protection order for herself and the son she had with McLeod after he threatened her with violence during an argument, the documents say.
McLeod also has convictions in Alberta for assault, mischief, not following court orders and driving while impaired.
An online fundraiser has been started to help pay to bring the family's bodies back to Alberta.
Murphy said there will be a celebration of life for his daughter and grandkids at a later date.
"We're dealing with something that never should have happened. It should never have gotten to this point."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.