Police identify man wanted for manslaughter charge in death of former CBC journalist
The death of a longtime CBC journalist who was shoved to the ground in Toronto has now been classified as a homicide and police have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in the case.
Police announced on Friday that 43-year-old Robert Robin Cropearedwolf is wanted for manslaughter after the death of 73-year-old Michael Finlay.
Finlay was walking along Danforth Avenue near Jones Avenue on Jan. 24 when he was randomly assaulted, police said. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries but died one week later.
A cause of death has not been released but at a press conference on Friday Det. Jason Hillier confirmed police are now treating the case as a homicide following an autopsy that was conducted on Wednesday.
Hillier said that police do not believe Cropearedwolf and Finlay were known to each other.
“It does appear to be a happen chance meeting,” Hillier said. “Mr. Cropearedwolf if you are watching this I encourage you to speak to a lawyer and turn yourself into the nearest police station. I also encourage anybody with information that know his whereabouts to please contact us so that we can get him into custody.”
He said Finlay was conscious when he was transported to hospital and spoke with officers prior to his death.
But Finlay’s condition later deteriorated and he died on Tuesday as a result of the injury he sustained during the assault, Hillier said.
The identification of a suspect in the case comes two days after police released a surveillance camera image showing the person that investigators believed was responsible.
Speaking with reporters outside 55 Division headquarters, Hillier credited the community’s assistance in helping police identify a suspect so quickly.
“To this point, the community has been outstanding. They have provided us with closed circuit television video and we've had numerous witnesses come forward. It's been key in leading the investigators in finding Mr. Cropearedwolf and believing him to be responsible for this assault,” he said.
Tributes continue to pour in
Finlay was a former producer and editor who spent 31 years with the CBC prior to his retirement in 2010.
In a statement released earlier this week, CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson said that Finlay will be remembered as an “exceptional story-teller, documentary-maker and editor” who represented “the pinnacle of the craft.”
Former CBC journalist Michael Koller also told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday that Finlay was someone who consistently “made your journalism better” while working as an editor with ‘Sunday Morning’ and ‘The World at Six.’
“When it came time to have your stories reviewed before they went out on the airways, you kind of hoped Michael was going to be the one that would do the vetting process. It often hurt when he was finished with you but you knew consistently that the story would be better for it,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.