Man charged with 1st-degree murder in 2020 death of Winnipegger
Bud Paul's body found hidden in deep brush in Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation in August 2020
A 41-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with first-degree murder in the 2020 homicide of Bud Paul, RCMP announced on Wednesday.
Aaron Mousseau was arrested on Tuesday after a lengthy investigation involving the RCMP, the Winnipeg Police Service and the Manitoba First Nations Police Service, said Supt. Rob Lasson, the officer in charge of the Manitoba RCMP major crime services.
Paul, 56, had been missing for a week in the summer of 2020 when his body was found in Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation on Aug. 11, hidden in deep brush, police said.
"We hope this arrest brings some closure to Bud's family," Lasson said at a news conference on Thursday.
On Aug. 7, 2020, a co-worker of Paul asked police to check in on him when he didn't report to work for three days.
Further investigation by Winnipeg police and RCMP found footage of Paul with two people he knew in a liquor store in Neepawa, Man., on Aug. 1.
That was the last known sighting of Paul alive, Lasson said.
On Aug. 10, a burned SUV was found on Queen Street in Winnipeg, which police later identified as belonging to Paul, RCMP have said.
Two suspects were identified at the time — a 36-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man.
The woman was arrested and released without charges in December 2020.
"Throughout any investigation we follow evidence and leads as we see fit, and at that time it was prudent to make the arrest on the female, and the male wasn't arrested at that time," Lasson said.
Lasson confirmed Mousseau was the second suspect identified by police in 2020.
Surveillance video and forensic science helped crack the case, he said.
Scientists at the RCMP lab in Ottawa as well as at a lab in the United States examined the evidence.
No other charges are expected.
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