B.C. spousal homicides reach record high
CBC News | Posted: January 1, 2015 5:52 AM | Last Updated: January 1, 2015
14 homicides between spouses in 2014 — highest it has been in the past five years
This has been a record year for spousal homicides in B.C.
According to the B.C. Ministry of Justice, there were 14 homicides between intimate partners in 2014 — which is the highest it has been in the past five years.
The statistics, which looked at deaths reported to the B.C. Coroners Service between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 15, 2014, revealed that females accounted for 74 per cent of the victims of spousal homicide.
The B.C. Ministry of Justice also provides a breakdown of intimate partner violence by region.
"We know there's been 14 murders of women by their male intimate partners in B.C. This is an incredibly high number and we're very shocked and concerned by it," said Daisy Kler of the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.
In Edmonton, investigators are still looking for answers in the worst case of mass murder in the city. Police called it an "extreme case of domestic violence gone awry."
Those who deal with domestic violence say it can be a challenge convincing victims to seek help.
Meanwhile, over the past months, three men have been charged with murder in the deaths of their spouses in the province.
In November, a 64-year-old woman was found dead in her Surrey, B.C. home and her husband is charged with second-degree murder.
In July, 67-year-old Narinder Kaur Kalsi was beaten to death. Her husband has been charged with second-degree murder.
In April, Angila Wilson, a mother of three, was killed in her Clearwater home. Her former common-law spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.