A 43-year-old Sarnia man is in custody after being charged with first-degree murder in what police are calling a “targeted” killing.
Jason NahmabinJason Nahmabin was arrested by Lambton provincial police on April 29, roughly two weeks after Andrew Chute, a 45-year-old Sarnia boilermaker, was found dead in in the small parking lot of an Enniskillen Township nature preserve on Marthaville Road, just north of Petrolia. Police confirmed in a Thursday media release that Chute had been shot.
The accused made his first court appearance on April 30 and remains in custody, police said.
Chute joined the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128 iron ship builders, blacksmiths, forgers and helpers as a journeyman in August 2001, according to his Facebook page, and was also a mechanic and a welder. A 20-year veteran of the industry who worked for various local companies, Chute was still an active member prior to his death, a union spokesperson confirmed last month.
The former St. Patrick’s Catholic high school student also worked for Bigras Painting from 2010 to 2016, according to his Facebook page.
This homicide investigation is the second since December in the normally quiet township, a sprawling community of about 3,000 surrounding Petrolia.
The nature preserve, called the Marthaville Habitat Management Area, is owned by Lambton County and managed by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority. It includes wetlands, forest, tall-grass prairie and a three-kilometre trail that is popular among locals.