‘This has got to be a nightmare,’ says family of woman and two children killed in Portage la Prairie

The household of a Portage la Prairie girl says they’re nonetheless at midnight about what occurred the evening she and her two younger kids have been killed of their house. 

“I do not suppose I might actually imagine it, this has acquired to be a nightmare,” stated Tammi St. Jean, recalling a cellphone name she took with Manitoba RCMP from her Calgary house on April 11. 

“This cannot be actual, that was my first thought. Come on, this is not actual.” 

Early within the morning of April 10, hearth crews responded to a hearth in Portage la Prairie, and located three folks useless inside the home.

St. Jean says the victims have been her daughter, Shantelle Murphy, and Murphy’s two kids, six-year-old Isabella Murphy and three-year-old Mason Murphy.

Trevis McLeod, who St. Jean says was Shantelle’s accomplice and father of the 2 kids, has been charged with three counts of second-degree homicide, in addition to a cost of arson associated to the incident.

St. Jean remembers her daughter as a cheerful and caring particular person. She was a social butterfly, with a variety of buddies. 

“From the time she was born … she’d get up with a smile and fall asleep with a smile,” stated St. Jean. 

An important factor in Shantelle’s life have been her kids. 

“She cherished these children with all her coronary heart, she did every thing for these children. There was by no means a day passed by the place she did not hug and kiss these children and inform them how a lot she cherished them,” stated St. Jean. 

“She would simply do something for these children, she was a superb mom.” 

In keeping with St. Jean, Shantelle would typically name to inform her tales about her grandchildren.  

“Shantelle would at all times [be] bragging about how Isabella talked nonstop and was actually good along with her phrases,” stated St. Jean. 

Isabella “was shiny and filled with vitality … she was very inquisitive, at all times asking questions.” 

Final journey collectively

The final time St. Jean noticed her daughter and grandchildren was June 2020, when she helped Shantelle’s household transfer from Manitoba to London, Ont. 

It was on that journey that she acquired to spend high quality time along with her grandkids, together with Mason, who was then two years outdated. 

“He was only a handful … he needed to run on a regular basis. So having him in that automobile seat was a bit little bit of a visit, that is for positive,” stated St. Jean, who described the toddler as curious, and filled with vitality. 

“He did not like being cooped up in that automobile seat for very lengthy.”

Shantelle and her household would later transfer again to Manitoba in December 2020, and that is when St. Jean stated contact along with her daughter stopped. 

“They by no means actually had a gradual cellphone quantity. The cellphone numbers that I had, I attempted to textual content or message her and I would not get any replies or something,” stated St. Jean.

“I do not know what occurred, that is what’s so heartbreaking.” 

First reminiscences of Trevis McLeod 

Shantelle first met McLeod in 2015 in Calgary by a mutual pal, and whereas her household did not see any indicators of home abuse, they suspected one thing wasn’t proper. 

“I met him for the primary time once I was visiting at her [Calgary] residence, and I wasn’t too eager on him then, I did not know very a lot about him,” stated St. Jean. 

“I form of figured he was manner too outdated for her, I did not know what sort of man he was, and I simply wasn’t too impressed.” 

Tyler Hendrey, cousin to Shantelle, says Shantelle’s manner modified when she began relationship McLeod. 

On the time, Hendrey labored down the road from Shantelle’s Calgary residence, and would typically cease by throughout his lunch breaks. 

“After I would go over there, she’d be her bubbly self till as quickly as he walked by that door,” stated Hendrey.

“The whole lot modified, her manner and mannerisms … I knew one thing was up.” 

“I saved telling her that, ‘you realize, it’s worthwhile to depart him. You’ve got modified … he is modified you in such a brief period of time.'” 

However Murphy’s household was assured that there have been no seen indicators of abuse. 

“I did not see any indications or any indicators that he was mistreating her in any respect. I knew that they had some issues, however I did not see something, any bodily violence,” stated St. Jean. 

“I by no means thought that he would do that, it by no means crossed my thoughts that he would do that … it is devastating, we’re all nonetheless in shock.” 

Shortly after the couple began relationship, they moved to Oakville, Man., to dwell with McLeod’s household. 

At that time, Shantelle nonetheless had contact along with her mom, but it surely was sporadic at instances because the household moved round so much.

Carry household house to Alberta 

On April 15, Winnipeg Police Service officers arrested McLeod with out incident, after trying to find him for 3 days, RCMP stated in a information launch. 

For Shantelle’s household, it is a aid.

“There is not any cause he ought to have taken Shantelle and the 2 little ones. How might some monster do this? That is not an individual in any means, that is an animal,” stated Hendrey. 

St. Jean says she plans to return to Manitoba to attend McLeod’s trial, saying she hopes to get the decision she needs. 

“I do not ever need him to see the sunshine of day, the place he might really get out and do that to any individual else. I would like justice for Shantelle and the children.” 

A GoFundMe marketing campaign was launched to assist with the fee of bringing the our bodies of Shantelle and her kids to Calgary, the place the household plans to carry a funeral. 

St. Jean says any further cash raised might be given to a ladies’s shelter. 

“I need to pay it ahead … in order that we may help maybe any individual else who’s in a state of affairs, and perhaps we might save a life and get them out of it,” stated St. Jean.