Murder charge laid after 66-year-old killed in Sicamous, B.C.

A man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a woman that prompted Mounties in Sicamous, B.C., to issue a safety warning last week.

The RCMP Southeast District Major Crime Unit says provincial prosecutors approved the charge against 37-year-old Scott Keith McDonald of Sicamous on Monday, five days after he was initially arrested. 

The man was arrested again on Monday after prosecutors approved the second-degree murder charge, and he will be held in custody pending an application for a bail hearing in B.C. Supreme Court.

Police say he has an appearance scheduled in provincial court in Salmon Arm on July 2.

Public safety concerns

The Mounties say paramedics tried to save 66-year-old Jo Ann Jackson, who was found unresponsive in the driveway of a mobile home park just outside Sicamous, east of Kamloops, last Thursday, but she was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.

RCMP say officers arrested a male suspect who was released from custody the next day on what they described as an "undertaking for manslaughter with several preventative conditions," including a ban on returning to the mobile home park.

At the time, the Mounties said Jackson's death was believed to be an isolated incident, but investigators believed "there could be a potential public safety risk."

That prompted the District of Sicamous to request a meeting with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to address worries over the increasing number of violent crimes in the area.

"I think they're feeling a little bit frustrated. I don't think this is something that anyone's comfortable happening in their community," Mayor Colleen Anderson told CBC News on Sunday.  "Why are we catching and releasing so quickly?"'

In an emailed statement to CBC News, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said he is committed to ensuring community safety and addressing acts of violence with the "full force of the law."

"I look forward to meeting with the District of Sicamous to address their community's public safety concerns and hope to have a meeting scheduled soon," he wrote.

The minister said he has full confidence in the officers investigating Jackson's murder in bringing those responsible to justice.