Arson

Kamloops man convicted of manslaughter, arson to get psychiatric tests

KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops Supreme Court justice ordered a psychiatric assessment for a local man convicted of arson and manslaughter to determine if he is eligible to be declared a dangerous offender. Last November, a jury convicted David Peter Gordon of two counts of arson which caused the death of his house guest Cheryl William...

Suspects sought in Kelowna arson

KELOWNA - The search is on for two suspects after a Mercedes was set ablaze early Tuesday night in Kelowna. Just before 7 p.m., Jan. 5, a man looked outside his home in the 400 block of Sutton Crescent after hearing a loud crashing noise. He found his silver Mercedes CLK3 on fire. RCMP and...

Charges laid against man who barricaded himself in Shuswap home, lit it on fire

SALMON ARM - A man accused of barricading himself inside a home and lighting it on fire during a bizarre episode in the Shuswap is facing criminal charges. Adolf Albert Edward Hemmerling, in his 40s, is charged with uttering threats and arson damaging property, in relation to the Dec. 20, 2015 incident. Hemmerling allegedly barricaded...

Charges no longer being pursued against man accused of Kal Park arson

VERNON - A conviction is no longer being pursued against a North Okanagan man facing arson charges in connection to a fire in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park last summer. Justin Rees, 24, was charged with one count of arson damaging property following the June 12 fire near Juniper Bay. At the time, authorities said the...

Chase RCMP investigating arson, series of thefts

CHASE - Arson, a woman pinned between two vehicles and a rash of thefts are the latest files investigated by the Chase RCMP. Investigators are looking for two gasoline-powered saws after they were reported missing Nov. 22. The tools were allegedly taken along with five bags of aluminum cans from an unlocked pickup truck on...

GORDON TRIAL: Police charged accused with causing death before woman died

KAMLOOPS - After a police officer told a man he was being charged with criminal negligence causing death on April 25, 2013, he was confused and said he had no idea whose death he caused — at the time no one had died at all. The charges changed for David Peter Gordon, born 1980, who...

Jury convicts Kamloops man of manslaughter for arson that killed house guest

KAMLOOPS - A jury has found David Peter Gordon, a man accused of setting a fire which killed a woman sleeping in his home, guilty on one count of manslaughter and two counts of arson. The decision came shortly after 11 a.m. today, Nov. 3, after less than a day of deliberations. After a night...

Evidence wraps in Kamloops manslaughter case

KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops jury finished hearing all the evidence in the trial of a man accused of manslaughter and two arson charges this week. David Peter Gordon is standing trial in Kamloops Supreme Court and is accused of setting a fire in his St. Paul Street home April 25, 2013. His roommate’s girlfriend, Cheryl...

GORDON TRIAL: Neighbour describes house fire which led to woman’s death

KAMLOOPS - A man who witnessed a fire on St. Paul Street in downtown Kamloops two years ago says he remembers hearing a pounding on his door before his neighbour told him in a panic that his house was on fire and there were people inside. Devyn Skeels testified in front of a jury today,...

Trial begins for Kamloops man charged with arson, killing roommate’s girlfriend

KAMLOOPS - After an argument with his girlfriend, a man set fire to a pile of clothes in his bedroom before the flames spread throughout the home and injured an occupant who later died, a Crown prosecutor says. David Peter Gordon, born 1980, is charged with arson and manslaughter in the death of Cheryl William,...

Kamloops jurors to hear case of man charged with manslaughter, arson next week

KAMLOOPS - Beginning next week, jurors in Kamloops Supreme Court will hear evidence in the case of a man charged with manslaughter and arson. David Peter Gordon, born in 1980, is charged with one count of manslaughter and two counts of arson linked to a house fire in April 2013. Cheryl William, 44, was pulled...