Man charged in gun slaying of two seniors in east Van

A Vancouver man has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with a double killing in east Vancouver early Tuesday morning.

Joseph Holland, 43, was arrested Wednesday night in Harrison Hot Springs and has been charged with the shooting deaths of 72-year-old Dennis Wragg and 68-year-old Paul Tonks.

Their bodies were found inside a home at 1768 East 11th Ave. just after 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

A vehicle believed to be involved in the incident, a 2005 Dodge Caravan minivan, was recovered on a forest service road near Ryder Lake in Chilliwack.

Evidence from that scene led police, including tactical officers from both the RCMP and the Vancouver Police Department, to a campground in Harrison, where Holland was arrested.

Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Aaron Roed said because the case is now in the hands of Crown prosecutors, he couldn’t comment on whether Holland had any previous dealings or a relationship with either Wragg or Tonks.

“I can’t give a motive or an idea of why this happened ... that will come out during court,” Roed said. “This is a very tragic incident. Two people lost their lives in this murder, and family and friends are going to have to be dealing with this.”

Holland, whose lengthy criminal history includes multiple convictions for theft and mischief, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

He remains in custody and is expected to make his first appearance in Vancouver provincial court on Thursday.