Second-degree murder charge in slaying of Justin Silicz

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This article was published 27/06/2019 (2007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with the June 2 homicide of a Winnipeg lawyer.

Keishawn Mitchell was charged Thursday with second-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Justin Silicz, the Winnipeg Police Service said.

Speaking to media Friday, WPS Const. Rob Carver said citizens and businesses in the area of the fatal incident had the provided police with a significant amount of information, adding video footage helped lead to an arrest.

Police believe the attack was random, but Carver said the truth will come out in court.

Silicz was killed while walking to his parked car with two friends on Arlington Street, at about 4:30 a.m. His group had encountered another group of three men just prior to the attack.

Police said a weapon was involved, but would not release any further information.

When officers found Silicz on the scene, he was alive but seriously injured. He was transported to hospital in critical condition, where he later died. The two friends with Silicz were not injured, but they witnessed the attack, police said.

There appears to be no connection between Silicz’s slaying — Winnipeg’s 20th homicide of the year — and other reported assaults the same morning, police said.

Days after the slaying, members of the Silicz family made a tearful, public plea for help in solving the case.

“Winnipeg lost a promising young lawyer… There is a hole in our hearts. We need closure,” said older brother Michael Silicz.

The death touched a chord within the community. “Homicides with no rhyme or reason affect us differently,” Carver told reporters Friday.

Justin Silicz worked at the Pullan Kammerloch Frohlinger firm and specialized in real-estate law. His obituary said he was a fitness enthusiast and weight-lifting guru who loved hockey and was fiercely loyal to his family.

“He was quietly ambitious and competitive in the right ways. His star was just beginning to rise,” it said.

“He was an awesome guy, big heart,” one of his former colleagues told a Free Press reporter.

Court records show Mitchell was convicted in October of assault and two counts of theft in connection to two separate incidents in April and July 2018. He received a total sentence of 45 days in custody.

— with files from Dean Pritchard

nicholas.frew@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @n_frew