Woman in custody after man found dead
An apparent domestic dispute that left one man dead and put his common-law wife in police custody early Monday in Penticton will likely mark the third homicide of the year so far in the South Okanagan.
A neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions, said police told those in the area that the female resident of 1154 Woodlands Dr. stabbed the man with whom she shared the house.
The woman was said to have tossed the knife onto a pathway beside her home, then walked away from the scene before being arrested around 5 a.m.
Mounties have said little about the incident, confirming in a statement only that they’re investigating an “apparent homicide” and that the victim was a man. More information is expected to be released once next of kin have been notified.
Georgina Turner, who lives across the street from the crime scene, described the working-age couple who resided at 1154 Woodlands Dr., as somewhat aloof.
“They’re just the kind of people you say hello to, maybe talk to for a few minutes,” said Turner.
She woke up around 5 a.m. on Monday to the sound of police banging on her door. They asked if she’d heard any yelling or loud noises from the home across the street. A police dog later scoured the neighbourhood.
Turner, who’s lived on Woodlands Drive for 35 years, said the homicide came as a shock to residents, whose only recent trouble has involved noise complaints.
As of late Monday afternoon, the police presence at 1154 Woodlands Dr., consisted of just a single RCMP cruiser and officer parked out front, with yellow tape and a blue tent set up on the nearby path. Nothing was visible underneath the tent.
A late-model Dodge Caravan and older Toyota Camry were parked in the driveway of the tidy home, which still had Christmas lights up.
If confirmed, it will be Penticton’s second homicide of the year.
In April, a man was fatally shot outside a townhouse complex on Creston Avenue. The victim’s name hasn’t been released and the shooter hasn’t been charged.
And in January, Dean Jefferey Gillette of Kelowna was fatally shot in a vehicle pullout on Willowbrook Road near the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory south of the city. Police have yet to make any arrests in that case.