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Murder
Kelowna man charged in death of Calgary toddler
KELOWNA – A Kelowna man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a Calgary toddler in 2005. Police caught up with Ryan John Podhorodecki, 32, in Victoria where he was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 21, and transferred to Calgary to face the manslaughter charge. Calgary police Staff Sgt. Colin...
TAYLOR TRIAL UPDATE: Guilty of murdering pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend
KAMLOOPS — It took a jury mere hours to decide Damien Taylor was guilty of murdering his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend CJ Fowler. After hearing evidence each day for the last two weeks, the 11-person jury in Kamloops Supreme Court was sequestered around 11 a.m. today, Oct. 14 and delivered its verdict before 5 p.m. today....
Accused bus stabber makes court appearance in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Nearly one year after a Kelowna man was stabbed to death in an allegedly unprovoked and brutal attack on a transit bus, the suspect is in court to find out if there is enough evidence for the trial to proceed. Tyler Jack Newton, 25, is charged with second degree murder for stabbing 55-year-old...
TAYLOR TRIAL: Case wraps, fate of accused in jury’s hands
KAMLOOPS - It's now up to a jury to determine whether or not a Terrace couple's meth-infused multi-day bender ended with Damien Taylor murdering his 16-year-old girlfriend, CJ Fowler in Kamloops nearly three years ago. Taylor’s lawyer Don Campbell and Crown prosecutor Alex Janse each gave their closing submissions to the 11-person jury in Kamloops...
TAYLOR TRIAL: Jurors will hear final arguments next week before deliberating verdict
KAMLOOPS - Both the Crown and the defence have finished presenting their evidence in the Damien Taylor murder trial in Kamloops and jurors will hear closing submissions from lawyers next week. Taylor is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend CJ Fowler. The 16-year-old’s body was found December 5, 2012 near a...
Mother accused of murdering infant son in Kamloops to undergo psychiatric assessment
KAMLOOPS - A woman charged with murdering her newborn son will undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine her mental state at the time of the alleged offence. Courtney Fawn Saul made a brief apperance in Kamloops Provincial Court this morning, Oct. 8. She is charged with second degree murder in the death of her infant...
TAYLOR TRIAL: Accused pretended to be hallucinating during psychiatric exam: Psychiatrist
KAMLOOPS — The forensic psychiatrist who examined the man accused of murdering his girlfriend said he could have suffered from psychosis caused by drug use at the time of the 16-year-old’s death, despite the accused pretending to be schizophrenic during their meetings. Dr. Sunette Lessing conducted eight hours of interviews with Damien Taylor, 24, at...
The 14-year-old Vernon boy charged with murder has been released
VERNON - A 14-year-old Greater Vernon boy charged with murder is out of jail — at least for the time being. The teen, whose identity is protected under the Youth Act, was released on bail Sept. 22. Details such as what the bail is set at, and the conditions of his release, were not made...
Vernon RCMP looking for individual who was in Polson Park night of alleged murder
VERNON - Investigators believe there was someone else in Polson Park the night of an alleged murder, and they’re hoping that person will come forward. Police issued a statement earlier this week asking for additional witnesses in the Jason Hardy murder investigation, but RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says it appears investigators are looking for one person in...
TAYLOR TRIAL: If teen was rushed to hospital after injuries, death could have been prevented, doctor says
KAMLOOPS — The injuries to a teen’s head, neck and chest were severe enough to cause her death, but the 16-year-old girl could have been saved if she had received immediate medical attention, a jury has heard. Dr. Gilles Molgat, the pathologist who performed the autopsy of CJ Fowler, testified in Kamloops Supreme Court today,...
Lumby murder trial rescheduled for 2016
VERNON - A Lumby man accused of murdering a local teacher will stand trial in the spring of 2016. Howard Everett Krewson, 55, faces one count of second degree murder in relation to the death of his 51-year-old girlfriend, Linda Ross, a teacher at the Vernon School District’s Alternative Learning Program. Krewson’s trial was scheduled...
Vernon men charged with murder return to court
VERNON - A pair of local men accused in the murder of 42-year-old Jason Hardy were in Vernon Provincial Court again this week. Brandon Joseph Clayton Wellington, 18, and Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, both face second degree murder charges in relation to Hardy’s death. A 14-year-old Greater Vernon boy, whose name is protected under...
New murder charge laid in connection with Vernon death
VERNON - Police have arrested a third person for murder in connection with the death of 42-year-old Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park Aug. 26. Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, from Greater Vernon, was arrested in Kamloops Sept. 9 and charged with one count of second degree murder. He was scheduled to...
Vernon teen accused of murder to have no contact with three people
VERNON - A local teen charged with murder has been ordered not to have any contact with his co-accused — a 14-year-old boy — and two other young men from Vernon. Brandon Joseph Clayton Wellington, 18, appeared in Vernon Provincial Court today, Sept. 9 on one count of second degree murder in the death of...
Two teens, ages 14 and 18, arrested for murder in Vernon death
VERNON - Police have arrested two teenagers for second degree murder in the death of Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park last week. One of the teens is a 14 year old male. He and 18-year-old Brandon Wellington were arrested Aug. 31. Both are residents of the Greater Vernon area, RCMP Const....
Psychiatric evaluation results postponed in Kamloops murder case
KAMLOOPS - A judge’s decision remains in limbo while the court awaits psychiatric evaluation results for a Kamloops man who admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend last year. Last month, Christopher Frank Butler pleaded guilty in Kamloops Supreme Court to the second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend, Deanne Wheeler, 26. Justice Keith Bracken ordered a psychiatric assessment...
Ed Gyoba to be remembered with bench in Ashcroft
ASHCROFT - Community members have raised enough money to purchase a memorial bench for Ed Gyoba, a well-known man in Ashcroft and Cache Creek who died in an alleged murder last year. Susan Maximiuk, who took it upon herself to collect the funds, says it only took about a month to raise the $1,600 necessary...
Accused murderer talks about everything but his uncle’s death
LANGUAGE AND CONTENT ADVISORY KAMLOOPS – Shane Gyoba was conversational on several topics during an…
UPDATE: Ed Gyoba was out of options for dealing with nephew before he was killed, wife says
KAMLOOPS — Shane Takeshi Gyoba was ‘broken’ in the years leading up to his uncle’s…
Judge orders mental assessment after man admits to killing ex-girlfriend
KAMLOOPS - It's now up to forensic psychiatrists to prepare a report which will determine if a man who admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend is guilty of the crime or not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder. Today, Aug. 6, Justice Keith Bracken ordered a mental assessment after noting Christopher Frank Butler pleaded guilty...
Judge to decide on guilty plea after accused says he killed his ‘possessed’ ex-girlfriend
KAMLOOPS - The accused in Kamloops’ only murder of 2014 pleaded guilty to killing his ex-girlfriend but now a judge will have to decide whether to accept it after hearing the accused's belief he killed a 'demon' to protect himself. Christopher Frank Butler, born 1973, pleaded guilty in Kamloops Supreme Court today, Aug. 5 after...
Police confirm identity of Black Mountain murder victim but still no arrests
KELOWNA – RCMP have confirmed the identity of the man found murdered in his home on Black Mountain earlier this week. The body of Amardeep Singh Ahluwalia, 47, was found in his home on Feedham Avenue in the early morning hours of July 7. Police have said very little about the cause of death but...
Police arrest, charge 62-year-old man for Bernard Ave. murder
KELOWNA – A 62-year-old Kelowna man has been arrested and charged with the murder of…
Murdered Penticton man remembered as a diligent worker
PENTICTON - The man murdered in Penticton last week was a father of four and worked at the Copper Mountain Mine. Frank Armitage worked with Darren Leadbeater, 36, the person police named yesterday as the man murdered at Golden Sands Resort in Penticton, and says he was shocked when he learned of his co-worker's death. “I knew...