Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Apr 26/99) - Just hours after celebrating her 39th birthday, Iqaluit resident Mary Deschenes was charged with murdering her common-law husband Gilles Ghislain Bergeron.

According to Const. Kevin Craig, Iqaluit RCMP received a call at approximately 2:30 a.m. April 23.

After arriving at the scene -- a private residence located near Iqaluit's cemetery -- Deschenes was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder.

During the early hours of the investigation, the scene was secured and cordoned off with yellow police tape.

Craig said the police were still in the process of investigating the homicide and that while several neighbours had been interviewed, police said they still have more witnesses to question.

Deschenes had still not been questioned as of Friday at 8 p.m., but Craig did say the investigators had not charged her with premeditated murder.

Bergeron's body will be flown to Toronto where it will undergo an autopsy on Tuesday.

Craig said more information would be available later in the week, including the cause of death.

"We can't rely on the suspicions with what's on the scene," Craig said.

Because the investigation is still ongoing and expected to take at least another few weeks, police were unable to comment on the details surrounding the homicide and would not comment further on the circumstances leading up to Nunavut's first murder.

Neither Deschenes or Bergeron were previously known to the police.