Ottawa-area investigators have laid new charges in the homicide of a Clarence-Rockland man, bringing the total number of people charged in the case to five since the investigation began.
Two new arrests
A 23-year-old man from Arnprior, Mathew Blake, was arrested on September 11 and charged with second degree murder, indignity to a dead body and obstructing a peace officer. He has a court appearance scheduled for October 2nd. Then on September 17, a 47-year-old man from Rockland, Sebastien Boucher, was arrested and charged with obstructing a peace officer, obstructing justice and accessory after the fact. None of the charges laid against either man have been proven in court, and both cases will now work their way through the justice system.
The case so far
The charges stem from the death of Robert Prevost, 63, of Clarence-Rockland. Prevost was last seen at his home in February 2025, and his death was later deemed a homicide by investigators. His body was discovered months later, in the Ottawa River on May 17, near Dallaire Street in Clarence-Rockland, about 40 kilometres north of Parliament Hill, putting the discovery site within easy reach of the capital region.
Three people were initially charged in June, months before Blake and Boucher's arrests: Luc Decarie, 51, of St-Gabriel-de-Brandon, Quebec; Jessica St. Michael, 37, of Ottawa; and Yvon Vieno, 38, of Ottawa. Each of those three faces the far more serious charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and indignity to a body. With Blake and Boucher now added to the case, five people in total have been arrested in connection with Prevost's death, a case that has grown steadily over the past several months.
Ottawa angle
Two of the three people originally charged, Jessica St. Michael and Yvon Vieno, live in Ottawa, tying the case directly to the city even as the investigation itself has played out largely in Clarence-Rockland and, now, Arnprior.
Investigation continues
The Russell County OPP continues the investigation. No further details about how Blake, Boucher or the three earlier co-accused are alleged to be connected to one another have been released, and it remains unclear whether additional charges or arrests are still to come.
Sources: Renfrew Today (96.1), insauga
