Two people from Winnipeg were charged with manslaughter this summer in connection to the RCMP investigation into the death of Indian Head RCMP Constable Shelby Patton, but those charges have now changed. Forty-two year old Alphonse Traverse is instead charged with first degree murder and 43 year old Marlene Pagee is charged with accessory after the fact to murder.

RCMP investigators say 26 year old Constable Patton was struck and killed by the truck he pulled over in Wolseley during a traffic stop on June 12th. He was a six year member of the RCMP.

The RCMP reported at the time that the truck left the scene and was later located in a rural area northeast of Francis. With help from RCMP police dogs, two suspects were found in a field and arrested.

Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, Commanding Officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, says since June 12th, investigators have remained committed to the investigation, which includes conducting further witness interviews and completing forensic examinations, and that’s why the charges were changed. Traverse and Pagee are also charged with failure to stop after an accident resulting in death, vehicle theft, and possession of stolen property over $5,000.