Man charged with second-degree murder in Portage la Prairie double homicide: Manitoba RCMP

Police say a Portage la Prairie man has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after a man and woman were found dead in a southern Manitoba home last month.

Preston Whitford, 30, is charged with the targeted murder of a 42-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman who were in a relationship.

Manitoba First Nations Police officers found him in Sandy Bay on Thursday and took him into custody after a short chase.

Both victims were found dead in a home in Oak Bay in southern Manitoba, about 85 kilometers west of Winnipeg, on Dec. 1 around 10:30 p.m., RCMP said in a previous news release.

Mounties previously said two people visited the home hours before the victims’ bodies were found and left in a maroon SUV.

Police have not publicly identified the two victims, but the woman’s family identified her as Emily Smoke. RCMP previously said the 42-year-old was involved in drug dealing and had a criminal history, but told CBC News on Monday they could not yet link the killings to drug dealing.

CBC News is not identifying the man at this time.

Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services and Portage la Prairie RCMP continue to investigate.