A murder trial for Sasha Bena will be heard in NWT Supreme Court after a preliminary inquiry concluded in Yellowknife on Wednesday.
Bena, from Quebec, was 18 when he was charged with murder last year in connection with the death of a 29-year-old man in Fort Good Hope.
Preliminary inquiries are pre-trial hearings used to determine whether the Crown has enough evidence to proceed to trial. They are ordinarily subject to publication bans that prevent the reproduction of any evidence presented in court.
Following closing arguments from both Crown and defence, the deputy judge presiding over Bena’s inquiry ruled the Crown presented sufficient evidence to commit Bena to stand for a jury trial in NWT Supreme Court.
The inquiry began with several days of testimony in Fort Good Hope in February and ended in Yellowknife following two additional days of hearings.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Bena’s charges date to February 24, 2025, on which Fort Good Hope RCMP say they responded to a report of a suspicious sudden death in the community.
In a March 2025 news release, RCMP said officers were contacted when family members located the 29-year-old deceased in his residence. RCMP determined the man had died as a result of a homicide.
Bena was arrested in Montreal on March 13, 2025 and brought to Yellowknife for subsequent court proceedings, where he is currently being held in custody.
RCMP have alleged Bena was in Fort Good Hope as part of the illicit drug trade.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
“This homicide is a difficult reminder of the dangerous and exploitative nature of the illicit drug trade. Drug traffickers are coming to our communities to take advantage of people’s addiction and leave behind nothing but pain and suffering,” stated NWT RCMP Sgt Jason Hurley at the time of Bena’s arrest.
The charge is yet to be proven in court and trial dates have not yet been scheduled.
