RCMP actions questioned in Merritt murder
A judicial watchdog group is calling for an investigation into the RCMP's failure to arrest a killer just hours before he murdered a Merritt girl in October 2001.
Robert Raymond Dezwaan has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 15 years, after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of 16-year-old Cherish Oppenheim.
Justice for Girls spokesperson Joanna Czapska says she wants to hear the RCMP explain why they let Dezwaan go free the night of the murder.
"We would like an independent inquiry on why he was not arrested when he was driving drunk, breaching his bail conditions and he had a weapon on his passenger seat."
- LINK: Justice for Girls
The RCMP could not be reached for comment.
Following his guilty plea, the 38-year-old Dezwaan apologized to his victim's family. He blamed drugs and alcohol addiction for his actions.
He told the court he picked up Cherish in downtown Merritt, that they drank together and had consensual sex. Then he says, she "freaked out" and he strangled her.
However, a forensic report says there were clear signs Oppenheim was sexually assaulted and savagely beaten before she died.