New arrest in 2025 Barrie double homicide investigation

Police have charged a man in connection with a 2025 double murder at a homeless encampment in Barrie.

On Friday, police said they have charged a 61-year-old man with accessory after the fact to murder.

He was taken into custody on Thursday morning in the area of Collier and Owen streets.

Police said that through the investigation, detectives identified a suspect after new information came to light.

Last summer, police charged a 52-year-old man with first- and second-degree murder in the slayings of 45-year-old William 'Blake' Robinson and 41-year-old David Cheesequay.

Police have said the accused in the murders knew the victims and at one point had lived together in the homeless encampment, which was located in the area of Anne Street South and Victoria Street.

At a news conference in August 2025, police said this began as a missing person investigation in January of that year.

They said Blake lost contact with his family on Jan. 18 and was reported missing the following month, and Cheesequay was reported missing on July 20.

Investigators have confirmed that information received later that month led to the encampment, and that the probe included additional locations in Huntsville and north Simcoe County.

The man accused in the double homicide faces more than 30 charges, including committing an indignity to a human body.

Police said detectives continue to pursue new leads and information.