She was a 25-year-old mother of two.
Her death launched five years of investigation and prosecutions, revealing a story of suspicion, drugs, booze and revenge, climaxing in one long night of torture.
Ten people were eventually convicted, with the final cases recently wrapped in court, freeing up documents that had been under a publication ban.
“When you have something like this, something so brutal, people became very self-interested as they were looking at life in jail and very serious ramifications,” Mr. Graham said.
“I think that’s just the brutal nature of this ... people were a little more forthcoming with what they knew.”
Court documents reveal how the killing was shaped by events three weeks earlier, in or around Edmonton, when Ms. Laverdiere’s friend Tristen Cook-Buckle was killed.
His family was told he was beaten, stabbed and shot in the head before his body and the vehicle he was in were set on fire.
The death was devastating for his mother, Nicole Cook. Together, she and Ms. Laverdiere travelled from Edmonton to Thunderchild First Nation near North Battleford for the funeral.
By then suspicions were forming. What did Ms. Laverdiere know? Did she have something to do with killing Mr. Cook-Buckle?
The documents say one person who wanted answers was Soaring Eagle Whitstone, a relative who was also the head – formal title, “Queen” – of a street gang.
Ms. Whitstone considered Mr. Cook-Buckle one of her grandchildren.
Ms. Whitstone told his mother that Ms. Laverdiere was involved in the killing and had “messed with the wrong family,” say the documents.
Three nights later, at the home of one of Ms. Cook’s relatives in North Battleford, after days of drinking and drug use, Ms. Whitstone took action. The documents detail what happened, and what witnesses heard.
“All right my soldiers,” Ms. Whitstone said, and gang members moved in, punching Laverdiere so hard in the face her nose split.
As the blows came down, Ms. Cook yelled that Ms. Laverdiere knew more than she was telling.
“Hostage in the house!” Ms. Whitstone yelled as they hauled Laverdiere inside, tied her to a chair and continued to beat her.
Ms. Laverdiere was ordered to write down what she knew about Mr. Cook-Buckle’s death. The note was never found.
The documents say the beating continued until neighbours complained about the noise.
Ms. Laverdiere was then taken to a third and final house, hustled down to the basement, tied, gagged and beaten with fists and a metal pipe for hours.
Ms. Cook jumped up and down on her torso. The music was cranked up to drown out her cries and screams.
A flammable substance was poured onto Ms. Laverdiere’s head and lit ablaze.
“My son burned,” Cook told Ms. Laverdiere. “Now you can burn.”
“It burns,” Ms. Laverdiere cried. “Please put it out.”
The fire was extinguished. Smoke and a foul odour filled the basement.
Ms. Whitstone said Ms. Laverdiere sounded like a ”dying dog,” say the documents.
She then told others to finish Ms. Laverdiere.
A knife was held out, and someone in the group cut Ms. Laverdiere’s neck.
Her body was wrapped in carpet and plastic, put it in the back of a stolen truck, under a pile of garbage, and driven to the pond.
Before leaving, one gang member levelled a sawed-off rifle at Laverdiere’s head and fired — echoing Mr. Cook-Buckle’s final moment.
When the group returned, Whitstone congratulated them on a job well done.
After two weeks, Ms. Laverdiere’s mother reported her missing.
Police grew suspicious when Ms. Cook went on social media to help look for Ms. Laverdiere. Ms. Cook posted a picture of them together, arm in arm. In the photo, Ms. Laverdiere is wearing a black sweatshirt.
A month later, on July 11, 2019, Laverdiere’s body was found in the pond, wearing the same black sweatshirt.
Police needed dental records to identify her. Her ribs were smashed. There were puncture wounds, a wire twisted around her forearms, packing tape around her lower legs. Her hair and scalp were burned.
A necklace with a heart-shaped pendant was stuck to her head. The documents say Ms. Laverdiere had purchased the pendant to go with a matching one she gave Cook at the funeral.
Ms. Cook eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was given a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 10 years.
Ms. Whitstone was convicted of first-degree murder and automatically sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years.
There were other convictions for gang members involved to varying degrees.
Ms. Laverdiere’s family have said they will never have true closure.
“They will never hear her tell them how much she loves them.”
Mr. Cook-Buckle’s killing has not been solved.
Mr. Graham said Mounties believe Laverdiere had no new information about his death, and they won’t ever know what she wrote in that note as she was being tortured.
“Based on what people had told us during interviews, there was no confession or new information that related to who killed him,” Mr. Graham said.
Drugs, the officer said, were a theme through the tragedy.
“I think it’s a combination of drugs, those suspicions and just the violent nature of the people (involved),” he said.
“This really was a crime of vengeance.”
