A 15-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Brandy Vittrekwa, 17, in Whitehorse last December.

The suspect cannot be identified because of his age. He was arrested late Tuesday afternoon, and made his first appearance in territorial court Wednesday afternoon.

The teen was expressionless as he stood in the prisoner’s box and looked out at the people sitting in the gallery.

A publication ban was imposed.

He will remain in custody until his next court appearance on May 7, when he may seek bail.

The youth is the same suspect arrested three days after Vittrekwa’s body was found on a walking trail in the McIntyre subdivision the night of Dec. 8, 2014.

He was not charged in connection with her death at that time, but remained in custody for unrelated offences.

“I think the community is relieved to finally see charges laid in this case,” Kwanlin Dun Chief Doris Bill said this morning.

“We’ve been waiting a while. I know sometimes these things take time. The RCMP had to conduct an investigation that would stand up in court and sometimes they take time.”

She reached out to police over the last five months for updates.

“It’s a tragedy all the way around,” Bill said. “These are two young people.

“Their lives are over, essentially. It’s extremely difficult for everyone involved, especially her family. I’ve been thinking about her family during this difficult time.”

Vittrekwa was Gwich’in, and the suspect is also not a member of Kwanlin Dun.

Because the death occurred in the community and Vittrekwa had many friends there, the First Nation raised money for her family for funeral costs.

It also provided grief counselling in the wake of her death.

To increase community members’ feelings of safety, Kwanlin Dun fixed broken streetlights and added bright lighting to its administration buildings.

Discussions about what to do with the trail where Vittrekwa’s body was found are ongoing.

Bill said one option is to block it off completely.

“I don’t know if we want to keep that trail open,” she said.

The chief said she received a note from James Wilson, president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council, thanking Kwanlin Dun for its efforts and sending his thoughts and prayers to those affected by Vittrekwa’s death.

The teen was from Fort McPherson, N.W.T. She spent time in Inuvik and Old Crow growing up, and moved to Whitehorse with her family in 2012.

Her mother could not be reached today for comment.

Vittrekwa’s friend Marlee Firth told the Star last December that Vittrekwa was like a sister to her.

She said Vittrekwa had many friends in Whitehorse, and had a great sense of humour.

Even now, five months after her death, friends and family still post messages on her Facebook page, expressing their grief, love and memories of her.

Bill encourages people struggling with emotions to reach out for help. Kwanlin Dun’s health centre is open until 8:00 this evening.

“We recognize that this is a difficult time,” she said.

The Criminal Code states that second-degree murder is not planned or deliberate, unlike first-degree murder, but the Crown must prove that an accused had intent to kill.

Under previous legislation, in certain cases, a young person could be tried as an adult. That’s no longer the case, said Crown prosecutor David McWhinnie.

Now, under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), an accused young person must appear in youth court and be tried under the youth process, he said.

That involves the accused’s choice of a jury trial, judge-alone trial in Yukon Supreme Court or a judge-alone trial in youth court.

Under the YCJA, the maximum sentence for second-degree murder is seven years, with four years spent in jail and three spent supervised in the community.

If a young person is convicted of a serious, violent offence, the Crown may apply for an adult sentence.

(According to RCMP, Vittrekwa’s legal name is spelled “Brandie,” but she and family members spelled it “Brandy.”)