A Duncan man has been arrested in the case of a homicide that happened in January of 2020.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit arrested 45-year-old Andrew Steve Alphonse on March 1. He has been charged with manslaughter.
On Jan. 20, 2020, North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP were called to a home on Mulaqw Road just before 5 a.m. after reports of an assault.
When they arrived they found a 53-year-old man, who has not been named, suffering from serious injuries.
“First aid measures were started by police immediately, and the man was transported to hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries,” said a news release issued at the time by RCMP spokesman Cpl. Chris Manseau. “Initial investigation at the scene has led investigators to believe that foul play was involved in the man’s death.”
The death was the third in less than a month in Duncan, with two people having been killed on Christmas Eve, 2019, in an unrelated incident. The killings of Fran Shurie and Nellie Williams remains unsolved.
At the time of the death of the man in January, then-chief William Seymour (Squtxulenuhw) acknowledged the loss to the community.
“Anything tragic always shakes everything up. It gets people worried about what’s going on and why things like this happen,” Seymour said at the time.
He said he’d known the victim for a long time.
“I did know him,” Seymour said. “He actually played soccer for me. I was a coach years and years ago. I knew him well.”
“We are hoping that this culmination point in this investigation can bring some closure to those involved and affected by this incident,” said Corporal Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the BC RCMP.
Alphonse remains in custody until his next court appearance.
As this matter is now before the courts, no further information will be provided by the RCMP, they said in a press release.
