A man charged in connection with a decades-old sexual assault in New Westminster has died in custody, according to police.
Authorities said it's unfortunate that James Gray, who was being held at a pre-trial centre, will not face the allegations against him in court.
“However we are satisfied with the hard work of many investigators which advanced this file to a stage where we were able to arrest and charge Mr. Gray for the attack," Sgt. Jeff Scott of the New Westminster Police Department said in a news release.
The cause of death has not been released.
Police said they will be speaking with Crown counsel about abating the charges against Gray, which include aggravated sexual assault, break and enter, forcible confinement, choking to overcome resistance, and uttering threats.
The victim, 79-year-old Dorothy Darnel, was sleeping when someone entered her home, beat her and sexually assaulted her back in October 1996.
Last year, investigators managed to use DNA evidence to finally identify and arrest a suspect.
Darnel had died by that time, but police said they hoped closing the case would still bring comfort to her family.
