Man charged with murder in woman's slaying on B.C. First Nation

Generic police tape image used for illustrative purposes only. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy)

A man has been charged in the slaying of a woman in her home on the Sq’éwqel First Nation in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, in what police are alleging was a case of intimate partner violence.

Vanessa Terry was found dead on April 6, 2024, according to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, which announced the charge Thursday. Frederick Paul Charlie, 36, has been charged with second-degree murder and will remain in custody until his next court appearance, IHIT said.

Authorities did not explicitly say what the relationship between the victim and her alleged killer was, but included a statement indicating he was either a former or current intimate partner.

“Incidents of intimate partner violence are tragic and have devastating, long-lasting effects on families and communities. IHIT would like to extend our condolences to Ms. Terry’s loved ones and community,” Cpl. Chase Smith said.

The murder charge comes nearly five months after Terry was found dead and is the first time the public has been informed about the case by homicide investigators through a media release.

"IHIT does not necessarily issue media releases on every file we take. In this instance, the community was very engaged from the start and helped us advance the investigation to where we were able to seek a charge against the suspect; therefore, we did not send out a plea for more witnesses or video as we sometimes do," Smith told CTV News in an email.

According to publicly available court records, Charlie has been charged with intimate partner violence offences on four previous occasions. His most recent conviction was for a breach of a release order. He was sentenced to one day in jail and 18 months probation for that offence in March of 2023.