A retired Mountie and a group representing Alberta’s defence lawyers are both calling for a third-party investigation into possible criminal behaviour by the Edmonton Police Service chief and his top departmental lawyer.

The Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association (CTLA) says Chief Warren Driechel and EPS legal and regulatory services director Megan Hankowich need to be investigated for statements made over the recent manslaughter case involving the 2023 death of eight-year-old Nina Napope.

The call came in a letter to Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery from Edmonton lawyer Tom Engel on behalf of the association. The letter was also made public Tuesday.

The association is asking  Amery to direct the Police Review Commission to examine whether there is enough evidence to pursue charges.

Engel said their behaviour merits examination for possible criminal violations, including extortion, obstruction of justice and intimidation of a justice system participant.

“Police made criminal threats against the Crown that they have to do something, set aside a plea bargain — or else,” said Tom Engel, an Edmonton lawyer and chair of the CTLA policing committee.

“When the police cross the line like they did here, it undermines the administration of the criminal justice system in Canada — and that has to be jealously guarded.”

Former RCMP homicide detective and security professional Neil LeMay also filed a separate, second complaint, asking the Edmonton Police Commission and Amery to launch a formal investigation for the same reasons.

The letters are the latest chapter in a controversy that challenged the firewall between police — who investigate and can either recommend or lay charges — and prosecutors, who decide in the public interest how the case and the charges are handled in court.

The CTLA and LeMay were referring to public comments made last fall by police warning that prosecutors were willing to accept a sentencing deal it suggested was too lenient and a “miscarriage of justice.”

In September, Driechel and Hankewich took the highly unusual step of publicly intervening in the sentencing of Ashley Rattlesnake in Nina’s death, after saying they had learned the Crown was poised to accept an eight-year manslaughter sentence in the case that initially prompted first-degree murder charges.

EPS warned if the Crown did not change course, police would release their own details of the case so it can be judged in the court of public opinion.

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The issue sparked a public debate on the firewall.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith weighed in at the time, backing the EPS concerns and stating the public needs to understand why Crown prosecutors make their decisions.

No deal was finalized, but in February, an Edmonton judge sentenced Ashley Rattlesnake to eight years in prison for manslaughter. The Crown had asked for a nine-year prison sentence, while the defence had requested seven years.

In his decision, Justice Jody Fraser called police comments surrounding the sentencing “reprehensible,” and suggested their “veiled threat” may have obstructed justice.

He also cited the comments as a “somewhat” mitigating factor in sentencing.

The Rattlesnake case contained disturbing details of the child’s final hours.

2:08
Family outraged over manslaughter sentence for woman who killed Edmonton child

Napope was living with Rattlesnake in west Edmonton at her incarcerated father’s request when she died of blunt impact trauma.

Court heard Rattlesnake was drinking alcohol and using methamphetamine the night Nina was killed. The girl was found lying on the floor bleeding next to a hole in the wall, but it isn’t known how she sustained her fatal head injury and who may have struck the fatal blow(s).

Rattlesnake didn’t call 911 and instead asked acquaintances for help. Four others were charged in the case. Nina was found dead in a hockey bag in the back of a truck a few days later on Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, and her death was confirmed to be a homicide.

An autopsy showed she had multiple broken bones and injuries, some which had previously healed. She also had sepsis because of an infected tooth that was left untreated. Court heard the blood infection reduced her chances of survival.

LeMay said on Tuesday those convicted of murder should face justice, but the legal process must also remain lawful, independent, and visibly fair to maintain public confidence.

“The public should remember that justice requires consideration of all relevant circumstances, not only the crime itself, but also the fairness of the prosecution, the integrity of the proceedings, and the rule-of-law principles that must govern every serious case,” LeMay said.

“Police investigations are not a perfect science. Mistakes are made. Witnesses change their stories. Under cross-examination, evidence that once looked powerful can be weakened to the point that it carries little or no weight at all. All too often, murder cases go off the rails and no one is ever convicted.”

LeMay added in his experience, that is why the old saying about a bird-in-the-hand has real force here.

“When a lawful conviction is secured, the justice system, including the police, must be careful not to jeopardize it in pursuit of something more emotionally satisfying but far less certain.

“Justice must be done carefully, properly, and in a way that can be seen to be fair.”

2:04
Publication ban lifted as sentencing begins in case of Edmonton girl found dead in hockey bag

The Edmonton Police Service declined to comment on the letter while Alberta Justice said it was reviewing it and unable to comment at this time.

The Edmonton Police Commission said it had not received the complaint, but noted since Dec. 1, 2025, complaints about police officers are made through the Police Review Commission.

The PRC, created by the province late last year to replace the “current patchwork of police investigating police,” is an independent, centralized, civilian-led body that looks into complaints about the conduct of police officers, and is the banner under which ASIRT operates.

The PRC told Global News it was aware of the matter but as of Tuesday afternoon, there was “no active investigation.”

In a follow-up message later Tuesday afternoon, the PRC said Section 42.2 of the Police Act sets out the provisions for making a complaint to the Police Review Commission. To summarize the key parts here:

• Members of the public can make a submission to the PRC
• The CEO of the PRC or the chief of the involved police service could initiate a complaint in the absence of a submission from the public
• The minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services could refer a matter to the PRC if deemed in the public interest

—with files from Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

As manslaughter sentencing got underway for the woman initially accused of first-degree murder in the death of a child under her care, the little girl’s identity can finally be shared.

Nina Napope went missing from west Edmonton in April 2023 before being found dead a few days later in central Alberta.

For years, the name of the child in the high-profile manslaughter case was withheld and her face disguised due to a publication ban but now, it has been lifted.

Justice Jody Fraser lifted the publication ban on the girl’s identity at the request of her family, who said Nina was kind and loving and that her siblings wonder where she is.

On Wednesday in court, the family of the eight-year-old girl found in Maskwacis cried while reading victim impact statements during a sentencing hearing for Ashley Rattlesnake, the woman charged in the killing.

Rattlesnake was looking after Nina at the request of the child’s father, who was behind bars. Court heard she suffered from chronic abuse and neglect while in the care of Rattlesnake.

Nina lived with her from September 2022 until her death from blunt force head trauma in April 2023.

On April 24, 2023, police stopped by a home near 87 Avenue and 165 Street in west Edmonton to check in on the well-being of the child.

1:59
Family of Edmonton girl slams reduced manslaughter plea in her 2023 death

When she was nowhere to be found, officers began investigating. There were “suspicious circumstances,” and EPS said the homicide section took over the case.

Her body was discovered in a hockey bag a few days later on Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, which is located about a one-hour drive south of Edmonton.

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An autopsy found the girl died of blunt impact trauma, and the death was confirmed to be a homicide.

The autopsy also showed the girl was chronically abused. She had previous, multiple broken bones and injuries. She also had sepsis because of an untreated infected broken tooth, which reduced her chances of surviving the head injury.

Global News spoke with a woman who called 911 after hearing a rumour that a child may have been seriously injured or was dead.

She said her nephew told her he showed up at the apartment where the child was allegedly injured and saw an unconscious girl with a head wound in a bedroom and a dent on the wall.

Even before the girl was found, police believed she may have been killed.

2:19
Missing 8-year-old Edmonton girl believed to be dead, 1st-degree murder charges laid

The then-27-year-old woman was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and indignity to a dead body.

Rattlesnake was initially charged with first-degree murder and indignity to a dead body but pleaded guilty in September 2025 to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

The plea came a day after Edmonton’s interim police chief made public a letter from his force to Alberta’s justice ministry saying it was aware of the impending deal and urging the Crown to call it off.

The letter challenged the traditional firewall that separates police, who investigate a case, from prosecutors, who determine how best to proceed with the case in court.

2:45
Edmonton police object to Crown accepting manslaughter plea in girl’s homicide

— More to come…

— With files from Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.