Homicide house finally getting attention
Family friend of murder victim wants to know why this and other low-income properties like it are allowed to reach such state of disrepair and unsightliness
The house where Brenda Woloski’s badly beaten body was found no longer has cardboard covering the windows or furniture scattered in the backyard after city bylaw officers ordered some cleanup take place.
However, a friend of the woman is wondering why something couldn’t have been done sooner to generally clean up the long neglected property and those like it where vulnerable, low-income Hatters rent.
“Like a lot of properties, it needs to be fixed up or torn down,” Sherri Gutfreund told the News on Monday.
“There are people who live like that, and there are people who make money off it.”
Gutfreund has described Woloski as a person who battled addictions and mental disorder. She remained in contact with Woloski as a family friend and to keep a channel open between Woloski and her estranged daughters.
They arrived in Medicine Hat last fall to gather their mother’s belongings and make funeral arrangements.
“It saddened the daughters to see that their mother had lived like that,” said Gutfreund. “It made me cry.”
She said greater support for those seeking to overcome substance abuse is required.
As for the property, local bylaw officers confirm two orders were issued this winter related to the run-down green house at the corner of Maple Avenue and Third Street SE.
Bylaw enforcement supervisor Heather Trail said a complaint from the public led to orders being issued in late February.
The city’s unsightly properties bylaw gives the authority to order changes, but the process is complaint driven.
“The homicide did bring some attention to the home and we did receive a complaint from the public, just about the unsightliness — basically what you can see from a busy roadway,” said Trail. “Our bylaw basically deals with the unsightliness. (Security) is dealt with by the fire department and it appears to be secure even though no one is living there.”
One order to clean up the yard was completed on time in March, said Trail. Another order to repair windows and attend to the siding has a June 1 deadline.
“Our expectation is that they will comply,” said Trail.
Late last week several men were seen scraping the exterior and replacing windows.
A man at the site who described himself as the owner told a News reporter that he is cleaning up the property because of a bylaw order and that he was preparing to sell the property.
He wouldn’t give his full name or provide other details but promised to get in contact with reporters.
A land title for the property, which is joined to the property next door, states the owner as a “Kam Wong,” specifically stating an address in Medicine Hat. That address is out of date, and it is not immediately clear who owns the lots.
On Nov. 12, 2016, Noah Bentley was arrested and charged with seconddegree murder after police discovered Woloski’s body and cordoned off the house and one next door to investigate.
Bentley has not yet entered a plea, and remains in custody.
The case has been adjourned until this week while a psychological assessment takes place.
A number of facts in the case have not been made public, including the cause of death, the relationship, if any, that existed between Woloski and Bentley, or their connection to the property.
Work at the home next door has apparently been ongoing over the winter, with workers going in and construction material coming out.