Crime unit probes spike in violent deaths
Killing of Victoria woman latest in seven investigations on Lower Island this year
There has been a significant spike in homicides and suspicious deaths on the Lower Island in the first months of 2015, with the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit investigating seven cases compared to just one in the same period last year.
The seven investigations include three homicides, two cases of manslaughter, a suspicious death and a sudden death. And that’s not including a suspicious death and an attempted murder that are being handled by Victoria police and West Shore RCMP, respectively.
“Although this is more homicides or suspicious deaths than we usually see, we are committed to providing thorough investigations that follow the evidence and lead us to solve these files,” said Victoria police spokesman Const. Mike Russell.
The killing of 46-year-old Caitlin Walton, found dead on Friday inside a home at 830 Queens Ave., is the latest in a string of violent incidents. Her husband, Daniel Blake Penney, was found inside his running car in the closed garage of his Colwood home at 3012 Volmer Rd., an apparent suicide attempt. He was rescued by two West Shore RCMP officers, taken to hospital and then arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
The Major Crime Unit is also investigating the killing of Peter Hunter Thompson, who was found dead in his James Bay apartment on Feb. 18. Victoria police are probing the suspicious death of Scott Owen Smith, 26, whose body was found in the Inner Harbour on March 5, but that has not been deemed a homicide.
Already this year in the West Shore there have been two homicides.
Kyle Jansen, 29, died after being stabbed in the leg in an apparent drug-deal gone wrong on Jan. 14. Daniel Thomas Phelps has been charged with manslaughter.
Major Crime Unit investigators are still working to make an arrest in the death of 26-year-old Kyle Syrenne who was brutally beaten on Feb. 21 while walking on a road on the Songhees First Nations reserve. Detectives have said they’ve identified all parties involved but no charges have been announced.
West Shore RCMP investigated the shooting that almost killed a 38-year-old man inside a home in the 2600 block of Sooke Road on Jan. 27. Tomas Paul Podhora, 22, is charged with attempted murder.
A 55-year-old Ladysmith woman, Rayna Johnson, died after an altercation at a mobile home park on Feb. 3. Police arrested Trevor George Meers, 50, and charged him with manslaughter.
Major crime investigators also looked into the deaths of a mother and daughter, Dorothy Barton, 86, and Susan Barton, 57, found dead inside a house on Epsom Drive in Saanich on Feb. 25. Police have ruled out any criminal activity.
Finally, the Major Crime Unit is probing the death of Richard Pilling, an elderly man who died after an altercation with another elderly patient in the seniors’ psychiatry unit at Royal Jubilee Hospital on Jan. 15.
This time last year, the major crime team had only one death file, the killing of 77-year-old Rosa Desroches, who was found dead in her Cameo Street home in Saanich on March 18, 2014. Her husband, 71-year-old Joseph Melvin Desroches is charged with firstdegree murder.
These numbers do not include RCMP detachments not covered by the Major Crime Unit, including Nanaimo, Campbell River and Port Alberni.
West Shore RCMP would not comment specifically on the increase in killings in its jurisdiction. Island district RCMP spokesman Const. Darren Lagan said crime trends need to be examined over a longer period of time to establish any patterns.
None of the homicides or suspicious deaths is linked, “hence the problem in deducing whether or not a trend is developing,” Lagan said. “Our crime analysts are constantly analyzing short- and longterm data relating to all crime types, with the goal of identifying patterns to ensure we direct our resources where they are most needed.”
Lagan said despite the population boom in the West Shore, violent crimes there have gone down.
“According to the Ministry of Justice stats … our three largest municipalities in the West Shore (Langford, Colwood, View Royal) have seen a combined population growth of approximately 15,100 people between 2004 and 2013,” he said. “In a comparison of those same two years, these communities have seen a combined drop in violent crime cases from 645 incidents in 2004, to 448 in 2013; a drop of roughly 30 per cent.”