‘HE WAS A GOOD PERSON’:
Aunt remembers 40-year-old Hamilton man who was killed in east-end stabbing attack
A 30-year-old Brampton man accused of second-degree murder in the death of a 40-yearold Hamilton man found bleeding in an alley made a brief court appearance Monday.
Antonio Sedeno Charles stood in Hamilton court Monday, wearing a white police-issued jumpsuit, his hands folded in front of him. He stared straight ahead and only spoke to acknowledge he understood the charge he faced.
Charles is charged in the death of Melvin Jn’Marie, who was found assaulted in an alley behind an apartment building on Parkdale Avenue North, near Britannia Avenue, around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. He died later in hospital. Police believe the victim and accused were acquaintances. Jn’Marie lived in an apartment building near the scene. It is Hamilton’s first murder of 2017.
His aunt, Eloisia Lubin, remembers her nephew as a hardworking man who cared about his family. “He loved children,” Lubin said, noting he had two young sons. “He was a good person.”
The two were raised in St. Lucia, and when Jn’Marie came to Canada more than 20 years ago, he moved in with Lubin. Over the years, he would stay at her Hamilton home when his work as a painter and general labourer slowed down and money got tight. He last stayed with her in July, said Lubin, 48. “With him, his whole life is just work.” Lubin said she’d often pick him up from evening construction jobs that kept him busy until the early morning. In his little downtime, Jn’Marie would enjoy a drink on the weekend, said Lubin, who is his only relative in Canada.
She said police told her it appeared he had been stabbed with a knife after a “little confrontation” near the apartment where he lived. “The police said it happened so quick.”
A Hamilton police source not authorized to speak on the record confirmed Jn’Marie was stabbed. Police say the assault “started as a minor altercation that quickly escalated.”
In a statement to The Spectator, Charles’ defence attorney Christopher Hicks would only say his client was arrested Sunday night but didn’t offer more details.
“I would ask you to remind your readers of the presumption of innocence which my client presently enjoys.”
A neighbour said he believed Jn’Marie had lived in one of the units at 210 Parkdale Ave. N. for about three years.
A GoFundMe campaign, “Funeral Cost for Melvin Jn Marie,” aims to raise money to send Jn’Marie’s remains homes to St. Lucia.
“Melvin … immigrated to Canada when he was only 19 for a better life,” the campaign website reads. “He was known for his good sense of humour.”
The target fundraising goal is $15,000. By Monday evening, $3,500 had been raised.
In court, Charles was ordered to not have contact with four people, named as witnesses and members of the victims’ family, and remanded into custody. He returns to court by video link at 2 p.m., April 10.