Wilfred Abraham, charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a 48-year-old Fort Smith man, made a brief appearance in a Yellowknife courtroom Thursday.
Wearing a hoodie that hid his face, Abraham, 54, entered the courtroom in handcuffs.
Court documents name Ralph Sifton, 48, as the homicide victim.
The accused, who was arrested and remanded into custody after the deceased man was located in Fort Smith Monday evening, showed little emotion as he sat in the NWT territorial court prisoner’s booth.
Prosecution, citing the need to obtain information related to the case, asked to have the matter adjourned, a request that was granted by Judge Michel Bourassa.
Since news of Sifton's death broke in Fort Smith, many friends and family have taken to social media to express condolences and share memories.
“I still can't believe you're gone. I just talked to you last week …Call ended and he said 'take care, love you cuz.' You'll be forever missed,” stated one post.
In another post published to Facebook, another online user reminisced about Sifton.
“The first time I met Ralph, I was up in NWT with my husband and trying to take a scenic pic of the insane looking buffalo, and Ralph grabs my phone and goes chasing this herd of wild buffalo saying I'll get u a good shot. He did that for about 10 minutes and when I got my phone back all I saw was blurry footage of the sky, recalled the poster,” who included a laughing emoji.
“Always a fun guy and all about his family,” concluded the post.
Abraham remains in custody. He will appear in court via video on Sept. 25.
RCMP and the NWT Coroner Service are continuing to investigate the cause of Sifton's death.