Man charged with murder of Japanese student has separate sexual assault charge stayed
Natsumi Kogawa, 30, came to Vancouver to study English and was reported missing Sept. 12, 2016
The man charged with the murder of a Japanese student in Vancouver has had an attempted sexual assault charge against another victim stayed.
Natsumi Kogawa, 30, had come to Vancouver to study English. She was reported missing on Sept. 12, 2016. Her body was discovered at the Gabriola Mansion, a historic building on Davie Street in the city's West End neighbourhood.
William Victor Schneider, 49, was arrested in Vernon, B.C., on Sept. 28, 2016 — the same day police discovered Kogawa's body.
He was charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a human body.
Schnieder was also charged with attempted sexual assault which was alleged to have taken place on the day of his arrest.
The prosecution has now dropped this attempted sexual assault charge.
Dan McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the B.C. Prosecution Service, says the prosecution did so because based on a review of all the materials and evidence available, the prosecutor concluded the charge approval standard could no longer be met.
Schneider remains in custody and is expected to appear in court Oct. 16 for preliminary proceedings on the Kogawa charges.