REGINA - A major campaign is on to find a man wanted for a 2023 Regina murder.
At an announcement Thursday at Regina Police headquarters, the BOLO Program has partnered with the Regina Police Service in a campaign to search for homicide suspect Daniel “Juma” Atem, age 31. Atem is wanted for first degree murder in the death of Roman Miller, 32, on July 29, 2023.
According to Regina Police Service, an electronic billboard campaign will be launched targeting Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer, all areas where Atem has connections.
The BOLO program is described as an initiative leveraging social media, technology, and population engagement to encourage citizens to “be on the lookout” or “BOLO,” for Canada's most wanted subjects.
BOLO is not law enforcement nor is it Crime Stoppers. Instead, BOLO does amplification campaigns to bring national attention and get the word out to locate wanted suspects. In this case, this is the first time the BOLO program has come to Regina to announce a reward in an amplification campaign.
For this case, BOLO offers a reward of up to $50,000 through Regina Crime Stoppers. Should an anonymous tip lead to Atem’s arrest, the individual submitting the tip can collect their reward anonymously without ever having to speak to investigators.
The facts of the case are as follows. According to Regina Deputy Police Chief Trent Stevely, on July 29, 2023 on the 2100 block of Broad Street, two subjects were responsible for the murder of Miller.
One suspect, Shedrek Samuel, turned himself in in BC and was taken into custody by RPS in February of 2024. The other, Atem, remains wanted and at large.
Stevely said that after exhausting most investigative avenues in an effort to locate Atem, they submitted the investigation to the BOLO program for review and consideration.
In this Regina case, the BOLO current case assessment committee made the recommendation to their board that the program should champion or amplify the warrant for Atem's location and arrest.
“We're not looking for witnesses or people to testify. This case is ready to go to trial,” said Stevely.
“We're asking and seeking the location of Daniel so he can be apprehended and face justice. To the associates and friends of Daniel, you may face criminal charges for being an accessory after the fact. If you assist him in evading arrest, you will be arrested.mThere is always an opportunity to call police or Crime Stoppers. There is money for you if you assist in his location and arrest.”
Stevely added one final message for Atem:
“Sooner or later, you will be apprehended. Do the right thing, call a lawyer and turn yourself in.”
Executive Director of the BOLO program, Max Langlois, said the program has had 70 campaigns seeking suspects and 30 have been apprehended. Their role, he said, is to direct people to where they can provide tips.
“We don't want to interfere with police work, and there are channels already available to the public to submit tips, Crime Stoppers, the police, 911,” Langlois said. “So our job is to direct the public to these tip channels, and everything we do is complementary to police work and Crime Stoppers work as well. We want to be non-disruptive. We want to be complementary.
“So the amplification campaign featuring Daniel Juma Aten that we're launching today will be seen by millions of people. As of today, our outdoor ads will be available on 13 different structures in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including eight billboards right here in Regina.”
He said the eight billboards are live already. As well, they launched a massive social media campaign that morning on Facebook and Instagram that will focus on four specific regions of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
“I want to be clear here. The only condition for this reward to be yours is for the tip you submit to lead to the arrest of Mr. Aten. Period. There are no other conditions. Mr. Aten's eventual trial has nothing to do with this reward. If your tip is successful, our top and only priority will be to give you the money you deserve, just like we've done several times in our seven years of operations.”
Kevin Bassendowski, President of Regina Crime Stoppers, urged the public to assist in locating Atem.
“If you have any information regarding to the whereabouts of Daniel Etem, and you wish to remain completely anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. That's 1-800-222-8477. Or submit a tip online at reginacrimestoppers.ca. Rest assured, your identity will remain fully protected, and your confidentiality is 100 per cent guaranteed.”
At the announcement at police headquarters in Regina, Tamara Cherry read a statement on behalf of Roman Miller's family, joined on stage by Roman’s father Delroy Miller. Part of that statement read as follows:
“Our lives have been forever changed. Literally, nothing is the same. The sadness has not eased. The pain has not disappeared. The disbelief remains constant…
"So we're pleading, begging the person or people who know where the perpetrator is to come forward. Perhaps you know a few of the details. This doesn't matter.
"Whatever you know, no matter how insignificant it may feel, please bring it forward. Investigators do not need evidence. They do not need you to testify in court.
"They just need to find him. The reality is none of us knows the future. If we did, we would have never let Roman leave the house that night.
"You never know when it might be your turn to depend on the help, honesty, and integrity of humanity to find justice. So do your part and tell us what you know. Together we are a community.”
In speaking to reporters, parents Delroy and Ava-Daun Miller spoke of their son, and of the suspect at large.
“We just want to get this guy behind bars so he doesn’t do this to anybody else,” Delroy said. “We don't want anybody else to feel or to go through what we have gone through. As you might not be aware, but Roman was one of the most vibrant, liveliest persons you could ever find. And missing him, losing him, it's not over. Every night, every day, every move we make, he's in our thoughts.”
As for the crime scene, he added that he “can't even drive down 13th, down Broad Street. It's hard for me to pass.”
“He was the most authentic person that you would meet,” Ava-Daun said. “He wasn't ashamed of who he was. Everyone was his family, and he enjoyed making others laugh.
"He loved music. I remembered him playing drums. He just had a lot of life. Anyone that knew him knows that he has a big heart. He's very forgiving. He cared about people, and that's hard. It's just hard not having him in our lives anymore because he was the joy. He knew how to just lighten the room, and he was the light in the room. So we miss him.”
Deputy Chief Stevely spoke some more on what they hoped to accomplish.
“We're trying to make his world smaller,” he said. It's an opportunity for Daniel to do the right thing and contact a lawyer and turn himself in. It's also an opportunity for his friends, family, associates, people who know him, to do the right thing and call us, call BOLO, call Crime Stoppers. There's money available for them.
“It's an opportunity for them to do the right thing. People are motivated by different things. Some are motivated by money. Others are motivated what we call judicial consideration, that they may be facing charges, they may be going to jail, and know where Daniel is, we want to sit with them and have a chat. Others just recognize that Daniel's a murderer and that he belongs in jail and in custody. “
