Family members of Saskatoon’s sixth homicide victim of 2018 cried as a first-degree murder charge against a 26-year-old man was read in court.
Blair Prokopetz appeared Monday in Saskatoon provincial court, accused of killing 27-year-old Ken Balan. According to police, Balan and the accused knew each other.
Balan was found in an alley in the 1400 block of 20th Street West on July 6 around 5:30 p.m., after police responded to a report of an injured person. He was taken by ambulance to St. Paul’s Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Ken Peter Balan, 27, was found injured on July 6, 2018 and died in Saskatoon hospital from his injuries. (Facebook)
Prokopetz is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday. Court heard he needs more time to find a lawyer.
Balan’s family declined comment, asking for privacy at this time.
Balan was memorialized at a funeral service in July, where he was remembered for his love of soccer, horse racing, swimming and cooking.
In the funeral program, he was described as a “beloved son, brother, cousin, nephew, uncle and friend.” His friends were called “the backbone to his life.”
“My heart is still heavy with sadness,” wrote Breanne Jamie Marie Crowe in a Facebook post. “(It’s) hard to believe you are gone. I will miss you and so will many others.”
Saskatoon has recorded eight homicides in 2018.