Man acquitted in 1984 Derksen killing arrested in B.C. for alleged sex assault

VANCOUVER — The man acquitted of murder in the 1984 killing of Winnipeg teenager Candace Derksen has been arrested in British Columbia on charges including sexual assault.

The B.C. Prosecution Service says Mark Edward Grant has also been charged with unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon and uttering threats, stemming from an alleged offence on Jan. 8 in or near Vancouver.

The service says Grant remains in custody, with his next court appearance set for Jan. 28.

Grant was found not guilty of second-degree murder in 2017 in the death of 13-year-old Derksen who was last seen walking home from school in November 1984.

Her frozen body was found six weeks later, with her hands and feet bound, in an industrial shed.

Grant was originally arrested in 2007 and found guilty in 2011 based on DNA evidence, but the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the conviction two years later, leading to a new trial in 2017 where the DNA evidence was ruled to be flawed.

The 2017 trial heard that the DNA evidence had deteriorated between Derksen’s death in 1984 and the first trial.

Grant was unknown to the Derksen family at the time of the teen’s death, and he had a criminal record including sexual assaults and other crimes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2026.

The Canadian Press