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James Mills, 46, died January 19th, 2008 from cranial blunt force trauma sustained in a beating on January 8th.

Mills was Edmonton's second homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

Police were first called to investigate a serious assault in the downtown area on January 8th, 2008 that left a man fighting for his life.

The attack took place during the evening near the Greyhound bus depot at 10324 103 Street. A man, believed to be in his 40s, was found unconscious shortly after 8:00 p.m.

After an assessment at the Royal Alexandra trauma centre, the man was transferred to the neurological intensive care unit at the University of Alberta Hospital. Reports varied regarding his condition, ranging from serious but stable to critical.

Investigators believed the man suffered a beating from several males but they have no suspects and little other information to go on.

Those with information about the assault were asked to contact Edmonton police at 423-4567, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.tipsubmit.com - a secure tip submission web site.

On January 19th, 2008 it was revealed that James Mills, 46, of Quebec succumbed to injuries sustained during the assault.

Mills, also known as Jimmy Mills, came to Alberta from Quebec about a year ago. The man did not have a permanent address in the city and had been staying in shelters and hotels.

"He has worked temporarily in different construction jobs. We know that he was struggling with some alcohol and perhaps drug-abuse problems, and we don't know the motive for the assault on him," homicide Det. Pete Draganiuk said.

Investigators believed Mills was attacked by a group of men at about 8:15 p.m. on January 8th.

He was seen 15 minutes earlier on Greyhound security cameras recorded walking in and out of the bus station's south entrance on 103rd Street. Mills first appears at upper right, then exits the building.

"It appears he was alone," Det. Draganiuk said, adding police didn't think Mills had been on a Greyhound bus that night.

Soon after Mills was beaten, two people driving by saw him lying unconscious on the sidewalk. They stopped to help the fallen man and called for an ambulance at about 8:20 p.m.

Although the two passersby did not witness the assault they did see Mills surrounded by a group of men.

"What we're interested in is the group of people that were around Mr. Mills when he was initially found unconscious on the ground and anybody else that may have had any interaction with him as he walked out of the Greyhound bus depot," Draganiuk said.

"We're looking for the public's help in trying to find out if there was anybody who witnessed an assault on this male."

"This was a busy intersection. We know that there was a lot of pedestrian traffic. We believe there was cabs going by. We believe there was buses going by. The parking lot (across the street) would have had people parking here and coming to their vehicles," the detective said.

Draganiuk suggested the fight might have appeared to witnesses as very brief and minor.

"We understand it might have just simply been one punch, but until we speak to people that actually saw it, we'd be speculating."

"There's a chance that somebody may have seen a really innocent, minor assault, and unfortunately it's turned into a homicide," Draganiuk said.

"We believe it might have been a very small or very short duration, and that he simply fell and may have injured himself in actually contacting the ground."

After Mills was later transferred to the University of Alberta hospital where he died he never regained consciousness, leaving police unable to interview him.

"We believe that this male's passing is directly related to the injuries that he sustained in front of the Greyhound bus terminal," said Draganiuk.

Police released photographs of the jacket Mills was wearing in hopes someone would recognise the clothing and remember seeing Mills near the bus depot around the time of the assault.

Larger images of the clothing can be seen here and here.

Investigators tracked Mills' whereabouts in the days leading up to the assault.

"The police had some dealings with him, and I'm not in a position to explain what we were doing with him at that point," Draganiuk stated.

The investigation continued with homicide detectives taking over from those working the original assault case.

On January 21st police announced that through tips received from the public they had identified a suspect in the death of James Mills.

However, Det. Peter Draganiuk was less than forthcoming when answering media questions – citing the needs of the investigation.

"We're not releasing any information regarding the suspect's description at this point in time. We don't want to influence any other potential witnesses that could come forward," Draganiuk told Global Edmonton.

"We have been contacted by an employment agency that was assisting Mr. Mills. They've been able to assist us with some background information."

Results of an autopsy released January 22nd revealed Mills died from cranial blunt force trauma.

The Edmonton Journal made the Greyhound bus station surveillance video available on their web site.

Police renewed their call for witnesses and described Mills as about 5-feet 8-inches tall wearing a grey hoodie, a toque and large winter boots. Most prominently he was wearing a nylon jacket with "Chargers" written across the back in yellow.

"He would look a bit down-and-out, maybe," Draganiuk said.

As Global Edmonton was gathering its story, an acquaintance of Mills happened by. That the man only learned of his friend's death when media attended the onsite news briefing spoke to the challenge police had of contacting possible witnesses to Mills' assault.

"I didn't know nothing until today. I was really surprised actually. I just looked at the picture when your buddy put it up and said, 'Hey that's Frenchy' ... never any news so. But it's rough," said a man named Ged.

"He was alright, kind – never seen no harm in him."

Remy Vargas, manager of the A&W restaurant just inside the bus depot, told the Edmonton Sun staff weren't aware of the assault or the man's death until they saw police putting up posters.

A receptionist at the Grand Hotel across the avenue said Mills once stayed there for several days and would occasionally walk back and forth on the sidewalk out front. He told the Sun he also believed Mills used drugs.

The hotel employee's assessment of substance abuse was confirmed by the man named Ged when he later faced CTV Edmonton cameras.

"He drank a lot and caused a little bit of trouble for himself."

deadmonton 2008 - james mills