Sask. police commission to hear new evidence in Stonechild death

The Saskatchewan Police Commission says it will listen to new testimony in the death of 17-year-old Neil Stonechild in 1990.

The commission will hear from a man who told RCMP investigators that a friend and former cellmate admitted killing the aboriginal teen found frozen on the outskirts of Saskatoon.

The man's information was provided during an RCMP interview in January 2006. The commission is expected to hear his testimony Sept. 12-14.

Saskatoon police officers Larry Hartwig and Brad Senger were dismissed from their jobs in November 2004 after an inquiry ruled the officers had the teen in their patrol car the night he died in January 1990.

Hartwig and Senger have always denied the allegation.

The constables were fired the day after the inquiry's findings were released. Neither has ever faced criminal charges in the matter and their appeal of their dismissal was rejected.

The officers' lawyers have also asked the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal to overturn the findings of the public inquiry, arguing there were factual errors at the inquiry and the commissioner exceeded his jurisdiction.

Many in the aboriginal community have suggested Stonechild had been taken on a so-called "starlight tour," in which police were rumoured to deal with perceived troublemakers by dumping them outside the city.

The RCMP launched a task force to look into several cases of men who froze to death in and around Saskatoon. The only charges laid were against two officers who arrested Darrell Night, an aboriginal man who came forward to say he nearly froze to death after being taken to the city's outskirts.

Dan Hatchen and Ken Munson were convicted of unlawful confinement and spent time in jail.