First-degree murder charges laid in 2022 Brandon homicide

Manitoba RCMP say three men were arrested in connection with the death of a 37-year-old man whose body was found in the trunk of a burned-out vehicle on the outskirts of Brandon last year.

Police say three men from the Brandon area were arrested Monday in connection with James Vernon Giesbrecht’s Oct. 2022 homicide. All three were in custody on unrelated charges.

Police are calling Giesbrecht’s murder “calculated and planned.”

BACKGROUND: Homicide victim found in burned-out vehicle on outskirts of Brandon: RCMP

Giesbrecht’s remains were found on Oct. 13, 2022 – the same day he was murdered, according to police – in the trunk of a grey 2007 Honda Accord, which was stolen from Regina.

Police say Giesbrecht did not die from the fire, but rather the vehicle was set on fire to destroy evidence.

RCMP allege Giesbrecht knew the people who killed him.

“They were acquaintances and known to each other in the drug subculture and Brandon,” RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson, the officer in charge of Manitoba RCMP’s major crime services, said at a news conference.

Homicide victim James Vernon Giesbrecht in an undated photo. (Submitted by: Manitoba RCMP)

Giesbrecht was was reported missing in December 2022. He was identified as the victim the following month.

Investigators say the suspect responsible for stealing the Honda Accord from Regina was not involved in the homicide. RCMP say possession of the stolen vehicle changed to one of the suspects.

Lasson said tips from the public were crucial.

Mounties say Giesbrecht, who was 37, was a proud father, brother and son who worked hard to support his loved ones.

Lasson says the complex investigation involved multiple interviews, search warrants and pleas to the public.

RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson, the officer in charge of Manitoba RCMP’s major crime services, at a news conference Sept. 12, 2023. (Joanne Roberts, CityNews)

Redstone Wombdiska, 28, was arrested at Headingely Correctional Centre and is facing first-degree murder charges.

Joseph Lindsay, 36, was arrested at Stony Mountain Institution and is facing first-degree murder charges.

Christopher Cutlip, 40, was arrested at the Brandon Correctional Centre is facing second-degree murder charges.

The three accused remain in custody. Police don’t believe there are any additional suspects.

Mounties did not say what the motive could be, but Lasson said there is a high threshold to lay a first-degree murder charge.

—With files from The Canadian Press