BY KEITH LACEY
Two murders and another case Greater Sudbury Police admit is looking more and more to involve foul play made headlines in 2006.
A week after an Azilda man, Bernard Jonasson, was found dead inside his apartment in August, police arrested Mark Bangs and charged him with second-degree murder.
Jonasson’s body was found by family members on Aug. 20. He died of multiple stab wounds to his upper body. He was 59.
Bangs was an acquaintance of Jonasson’s, say police.
Police say they believe Jonasson’s death was drug related.
Police Chief Ian Davidson said during the first week of September investigators found evidence of drug use and the sale of drugs.
“We believe there is a nexus between the homicide itself and drug use,” he said.
Jonasson was a retired miner.
A preliminary hearing for Bangs is expected within the first few months of 2007.
Next door neighbour Alex Major described Jonasson as a gregarious and friendly guy.
“I knew him to see him and called him by his first name because I honestly didn’t know his last name...he came across to me as a very friendly, nice guy,” said Major.
During one final brief conversation with Jonasson, Major remembers him talking proudly about his daughter’s wedding plans and intentions to help her out.
“He was telling me about his daughter getting married soon and how he was planning on buying a new vehicle and giving his daughter his truck,” he said. “He was very proud of his kids. Like I said before, he was a really good guy.”
This was the first murder in Greater Sudbury since the winter of 2005 when the body of Daphne Kochar, 42, was found wrapped in a carpet in a bush area near Estaire shortly after Christmas.
Kochar was reported missing Nov. 6, 2005 after telling her three daughters she was going to run some chores.
Foul play was suspected, but police didn’t confirm they were conducting a murder investigation until they found some of Kochar’s personal belongings in another bush area near Lively this spring.
No arrests have yet been made in the Kochar murder investigation.
In late November, a second murder took place in the Donovan.
Sgt. Sheilah Weber says Nicholas Nootchtai, 27, who has been charged with first-degree murder, was not a friend or acquaintance of Gavin Nettagog, 20, also from Sudbury.
Police say Nettagog was stabbed once in the back with an edged weapon and died later in hospital.
Weber said the investigation has concluded this was an unprovoked attack.
“The victim and the accused did not know each other,” said Weber.
The accused “appeared to have a lot of issues going on that evening” and it’s alleged he got into a verbal argument with Nettagog, which escalated with Nettagog being violently assaulted, said Weber.
Police have gathered several knives and sent them for testing at the Centre for Forensic Sciences, said Weber.
Nootchtai was arrested at his residence at 223 Jean St. He is being held for bail and has been charged with first degree murder and breach of probation. A female was also arrested along with Nootchtai, but has since been released.
Police continue to look for a Dowling man who was reported missing well over one month ago.
Police admit they will soon have no choice but to consider foul play in the case of a Dowling man who hasn’t been heard from for almost two months.
Jeffrey Malcolm Mason, 37, has not been seen or heard from since Wednesday, Nov. 15.
Mason’s Dowling home was found burned to the ground the morning of Nov. 16 around the same time his late-model Chevrolet Cavalier was found burned on a trail off Lonsdale Avenue in Minnow Lake.
Police have deemed arson was involved in both the destruction of Mason’s home and vehicle.
Sgt. Sheilah Weber said police don’t believe Mason was involved in either arson.
There comes a point where foul play has to be considered, she said.
The investigation continues as a missing person’s case, but Weber admitted a consideration of foul play becomes a stronger possibility with each passing day.
The investigation has included use of OPP helicopters, Greater Sudbury Police tactical unit and OPP dive teams.
Tips continue to pour in about the case and police continue to encourage anyone who might have information to call it in to police headquarters at 675-9171.
Back during the first week in May, the Flour Mill was rocked when a male entered a local watering hole and fired several shots.
Joseph Hallam, 60, was arrested without incident and charged with attempted murder and several weapons offences following an incident at the Park Hotel.
It’s believed seven bullets were fired at Jason Tessier, 33, who sustained non life-threatening injuries after being hit once in the forearm and a second time in the ankle, say police.
Hallam surrendered to police without incident. Police found a .45-calibre handgun believed to have been used.
Hallam was released on bail a week after the incident and has remained out of trouble since this incident.
His case is expected to go to trial in 2007.
A man who shot another man once in the stomach while in a cocaine-induced paranoid episode, was sentenced to nine years in a federal penitentiary in November.
David Allen Batemen, 38, was arrested two days after Greater Sudbury Police found the body of Sean McNamara, 41, on Ramsey Lake the first week of February, 2005.
Bateman was arrested without incident two days after McNamara’s body was found inside a local residence.
During his guilty plea and sentencing hearing, it was revealed Batemen was on a lengthy cocaine binge when he shot and killed McNamara, who was a longtime friend.
A teenaged drifter from southern Ontario who stabbed, seriously injured and then robbed an 85-year-old man out for a walk in Fielding Park in Lively in November of 2005 was given a three-year penitentiary term late in 2006.
David Jackson, 19, was charged with attempted murder, but pleaded guilty in March to aggravated assault for the senseless violent assault.
Jackson and his girlfriend were arrested on a bus in Espanola headed for western Canada in the hours following the incident.
The elderly victim was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries for six weeks.
Court heard Jackson had no convictions as an adult and only a minor youth court record when this incident took place.
No motivation for the stabbing and robbery were presented during court appearances.
An 85-year-old man who took a daily stroll through the park was suddenly confronted by Jackson, who placed his arm around his neck and stabbed him in the stomach and then took off.
The old man was left lying alone in pain when the young man came back several minutes later and put a knife to his throat and demanded money. The elderly gentleman handed over his wallet.
