2017 marked by unsolved killings
Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series of articles counting down the top 10 news stories of 2017, as voted by staff at the Penticton Herald. The top story will be revealed Dec. 29.
It has been a disturbing year, following three homicides in the South Okanagan — the lack of charges being perhaps the most unsettling thing.
The first occurred when the body of 27-year-old Dean Jeffery Gillette of Kelowna was discovered on Jan. 17 in a vehicle pullout on Willowbrook Road near the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory. His body was found by a woman who was driving her kids to school.
Gillette, who was known to police, died of an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Investigators believe Gillette was the target of the homicide, however no arrests have been made in relation to his murder.
His close friend, Char Longard, suspected he may have fallen in with the wrong crowd.
“There are a lot of people missing him,” she said at the time.
“He suffered from depression and didn’t think he was that important, but a lot of people loved him.”
The next homicide occurred on April 26, when a man was gunned down outside a home at 998 Creston Ave., near the South Okanagan Events Centre. One neighbour said her son went to help the victim, who had been shot in the back and appeared to have run from a notorious townhouse complex popular with “meth freaks” after being shot.
A man was initially taken into custody following the shooting, but was released the following day without charges. The victim was subsequently identified in media reports as Randall Toews.
This year’s third homicide happened on June 12, when 63-yearold Dale Atkinson was fatally stabbed by his common-law wife at their house at 1154 Woodlands Dr., following a domestic dispute.
A long-time Penticton car salesman, Atkinson most recently worked at Penticton Kia.
“In the time that I spent with him, he seemed like a great guy. He had lots of friends in the community — he’s been selling cars here for 25-plus years,” said general manager Kevin Tameling, who admitted he didn’t know Atkinson well, but had formed a good impression of him.
“I know he had several customers that he had sold dozens of cars to over the years. Obviously they kept coming back for a reason.”
His former colleague, Andrew Werner, said Atkinson had recently confided in him that he hadn’t been getting along with his common-law wife of 20-plus years.
Police arrested her around 5 a.m. the morning of the stabbing, but subsequently released her without charges.