Kelsey Ouellette homicide linked to late boyfriend’s connection to drug trafficking network: EPS

Edmonton police believe the murder of Kelsey Ouellette last year is connected to “significant criminal events” linked to her late boyfriend, who died five months earlier.

The 31-year-old Ouellette was killed in a targeted shooting on Nov. 5, 2022, near Jasper Avenue and 116 Street. Police say she was “ambushed” and shot repeatedly.

One year later, no suspect has been identified.

BACKGROUND: Edmonton police trying to piece together 6 months leading up to November homicide

Police at the time said a “life-changing event” in the months prior to the shooting was related to her death.

Edmonton police are now saying that event was the death of her boyfriend Nicolas Chamberland. The 34-year-old was found dead at his northwest Edmonton home June 6, 2022.

Police say Ouellette and Chamberland had lived together in the Edmonton residence, but had recently separated. They believe her death is “significantly related” to his death, and that his death with a catalyst for other events that followed. @CityNewsYEG pic.twitter.com/dNIMFdoWut

— Adrienne South (@AdrienneKS) November 8, 2023

Acting Staff Sgt. Jared Buhler with the EPS homicide section says while Chamberland’s death is considered non-criminal, the circumstances of his life “are of significant interest to the investigation.”

“At this time, we believe Kelsey’s murder relates to significant criminal events associated to Nicolas Chamberland and/or persons in his network, which occurred within a context of high-level organized crime,” said Buhler.

“Specifically, we’re talking primarily about drug trafficking… What’s of interest to our investigation is the intersection of drugs and money and where those two things came together and where they ultimately went to.”

In the immediate aftermath of Ouellette’s murder, Buhler says Edmonton police were not prepared to “delve into the exact circumstances” surrounding Chamberland’s death, explaining why the “life-changing event” was kept vague at that time.

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In the days after the shooting, police released video and an image of an SUV believed to be connected to Ouellette’s death.

Police still believe a white Toyota Highlander found burning in the area of 259 Avenue and 18 Street are “one and the same.”

Investigators say the Highlander was stolen from northwest Calgary in August, then stolen again two months later from west Edmonton.

“It doesn’t appear that there’s going to be a lot of investigative avenues that are going to stem off of that vehicle,” Buhler said Wednesday. “We’re still aware of that. But we’re now more interested in Nic and understanding what was going on in his life.”