By james art Elisapee Sheutiapik plans to unite the community when court returns; Jopey Atsiqtaq remains in custody on a charge of 2nd degree murder
The man accused of killing Mary Ann Birmingham in 1986 won’t be back in court until 2025, leaving the late Iqaluit teenager’s family feeling frustrated by the delay but determined to stay strong.
“I was hopeful, I remain hopeful and [realize] it could be a long process,” Elisapee Sheutiapik, Birmingham’s sister, told reporters after Jopey Atsiqtaq’s brief court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
“But I was really angry when I realized it was already happening – another delay.”
Atsiqtaq, who is in his early 60s, is charged with second-degree murder in Birmingham’s death. Tuesday was his second court appearance since his arrest on September 24.
He appeared in court in Iqaluit via video conference from the treatment facility in Aakigiarvik, where he has been in custody since his arrest.
Sheutiapik, a former Iqaluit mayor and MLA, was surrounded by family and supporters for Tuesday’s appearance, which lasted about five minutes.
Atsiqtaq has yet to press charges.
Acting Chief Justice Susan Cooper set a date of February 11, 2025, for Atsiqtaq to return to court.
There was a sigh of disappointment and a few tears from people in Sheutiapik’s courtroom row when they heard the next court date was more than three months away. The group shared a few hugs after leaving the courtroom.
Sheutiapik said it was difficult to see Atsiqtaq on the video screen, and she said she refused to say his name.
“I won’t give him the benefit,” she said.
For the February court appearance, Sheytiapik plans to bring the community together for an event to honor her sister, who was 15 when she was killed, and to support others who are also grieving.
“There are so many people who may be suffering, quietly challenged, and I know some of them as families because they are reaching out,” she said.
She described a sense of relief in the month since news of the arrest spread across Canada, but also a sense of what turned out to be “false” security after learning Atsiqtaq was on parole at the time of his arrest.
“We were always told he would be in prison and never be released,” Sheytiapik said.
Atsiqtaq was previously charged in Birmingham’s death, but the charge was dismissed after a preliminary hearing.
He was granted one-day parole in June after spending more than three decades in prison for two other murders in Iqaluit in 1986, according to a decision by the Parole Board of Canada.
Sheutiapik said one of her younger sisters met Atsigtak in Ottawa at some point over the summer, not realizing it was him until he appeared in court on Sept. 25.
The next step involves more waiting.
“Let’s not lose hope,” Sheytiapik said.
“I’m trying to hope it’s not going to be a long process, trying to stay positive because that’s what’s kept us, I guess, taking all these steps forward all these years.”