A Winnipeg man is in custody following a fire at a North End church that claimed the lives of a married couple living in an upstairs suite.
Alex Donald Courchene, 28, was arrested Wednesday following the Sept. 14 fire at House of Covenant International Church at 1410 Main St.
Police identified the two deceased as Geda Wodisso, 49, and Zenabu Gula, 38, and said they were not known to the accused.
Courchene has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of arson with disregard for human life.
Court records show Courchene has had only limited involvement in the justice system. In September 2020, he was the subject of an involuntary medical examination application approved by a judicial justice of the peace. Details of the application were not available. A second application in June 2021 was denied.
In December 2021, an assault charge against Courchene was stayed after he agreed to a peace bond requiring he have no contact with the female complainant for one year.
Courchene pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and was sentenced to 12 months probation after he wielded a baseball bat against a man at a Sargent Avenue convenience store. The victim wasn’t injured.
“There are no major issues that jump off the page for Mr. Courchene; he does not struggle with any addictions,” defence lawyer Aaron Braun told provincial court Judge Lindy Choy at the time.
Courchene’s next court date is Oct. 11.
Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.