White Rock stabbing suspect charged with 2nd-degree murder
The suspect in a pair of stabbings in White Rock last week has been charged with second-degree murder.
Dimitri Nelson Hyacinth was charged earlier this week with aggravated assault in connection to the first of two stabbings that occurred near the White Rock Pier, which happened on April 21.
During a court appearance Friday, Hyacinth was charged with second-degree murder in connection to the second stabbing, which occurred on April 23.
Hyacinth, a 27-year-old Surrey resident, was arrested on Monday in connection to the homicide. He was charged with the April 21 aggravated assault the day after his arrest. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 23.
Police said the initial attack, which injured 28-year-old Jatinder Singh, appeared to be random.
The second attack left 26-year-old Kulwinder Singh Sohi dead.
The two stabbings shocked, scared and angered the White Rock community, and the local RCMP detachment held a town hall Tuesday night to respond to concerns.
In the wake of the incidents, White Rock Mayor Megan Knight said some people in the normally quiet city were avoiding walking around the promenade or going out to area businesses out of fear.
"We totally understand," she said at a vigil in Sohi's memory last weekend.
"When you feel comfortable, come back."
In a statement announcing the murder charge Friday, Integrated Homicide Investigation Team spokesperson Sgt. Timothy Pierotti acknowledged local safety concerns.
"These events have had a significant impact on a community," Pierotti said. "I hope that today's announcement provides a further sense of relief to those who frequent the White Rock promenade."
IHIT said it's still seeking additional information related to the homicide from anyone who has it. Investigators ask anyone with information to call them at 877-551-4448 or email ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.
Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Helicopters, impersonations and squeezing through the fence: a brief history of Quebec prison escapes
Friday's warrant for prison inmate Yacine Zouaoui, 32, is the latest in hundreds of reported prison breaks in Quebec. Sometimes, they just walked away; sometimes they went through a fence, and twice they used a helicopter.