In each “Behind the Scenes” segment, Village Media's Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our local journalists to talk about the story behind the story.
These interviews are designed to help you better understand how our community-based reporters gather the information that lands in your local news feed. You can find more Behind the Scenes from reporter across Ontario here.
Today's spotlight is on SooToday's Alex Flood, whose story "LA police release more info in case of Sault man charged with murder" was published on Feb.20.
Below is the full story, in case you missed it.
Officials with the Los Angeles Police and Sheriff's departments have revealed more details of its investigation into the Sault Ste. Marie man who is accused of killing a woman in the U.S.
As the community learned this week, Jeff Primeau was arrested on Feb. 9 in connection with a murder that allegedly occurred almost three months earlier, on Nov. 22, 2023.
A former insulator and asbestos worker in Algoma Steel’s utilities department, Primeau attempted to run for mayor of Sault Ste. Marie in 2022 but was unable to collect enough signatures on his nomination form before the deadline passed.
Media Relations Division of the LAPD confirmed to SooToday today that Primeau walked into a police station in the westside of L.A. on Feb. 9 around 5 p.m.
Primeau advised police that he was “in a fight with his girlfriend” and admitted to killing her in an act of self-defence, says the LAPD.
A media officer explained that Primeau directed detectives to the 9700 block of Bellanca Avenue, located just outside the L.A. International Airport, where a “badly decomposed body” was discovered inside a vehicle.
The nearly three-month timeline of events between the alleged murder and Primeau's surrender to police remains unclear.
His active Facebook account, which included photos and video alongside a woman he had been travelling the U.S. in an RV with, suddenly went quiet last November around the same time as the alleged murder.
Primeau’s last public post to social media occurred on New Year’s Day when he appeared to be visiting Salvation Mountain near Niland, California.
“I am alive!!!” he wrote. “Be healthy, happy, and humble.”
His Facebook account is now offline.
West Bureau Homicide, responsible for investigating murders and undetermined deaths in Los Angeles, is overseeing the investigation.
Reached by telephone this morning, Detective John Lamberti couldn’t disclose intricate details of the case, but mentioned he was the one who arrested Primeau.
Det. Lamberti was able to confirm Primeau is from Sault Ste. Marie and that he’s currently being held in the L.A. County jail system.
“Once we arrest somebody, we send them off to the Sheriff’s Department,” he said. “We don’t track where they are, they’re under the jurisdiction of Sheriff.”
According to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, Primeau is being held at Twin Towers Correctional Facility – the largest mental health facility in the U.S.
His bail amount is set at $2 million, and his next court date is scheduled for March 14.
While Nov. 22, 2023, has been recorded by the Superior Court of California as the day the alleged murder took place, Det. Lamberti noted that it’s only a “rough estimate” of when it occurred. His team is currently unsure where in the U.S. the offense happened.
Det. Lamberti was not willing to share any further information on the alleged incident.
“I have some details but it’s nothing I can release at this point,” he said. “There’s a lot of moving parts. We’re still working on trying to figure out what happened and the whys. There’s nothing I can put out because I’m not 100 per cent sure.”
As for the victim, Det. Lamberti could only reveal they were a Canadian woman.
“We haven’t officially identified her so we’re not putting out any of that information,” he said. “We have an idea who she is, but we can’t verify that quite yet so we can’t put it out.”
Meanwhile, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department told SooToday they will not be releasing a mugshot of Primeau at this time as the investigation remains active.
“Unless we’re looking for additional witnesses, victims, or they’re a threat to the community, we don’t release the mugshot – especially for ongoing cases,” they explained.
Primeau is charged with a single count of murder under section 187(a) of the California Penal Code: “the unlawful killing of another human being with malice aforethought and without legal justification.”
The allegation has yet to be tested in court and Primeau is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
