The Crown has recently made changes to the charges against Reuben Buhler, the man arrested in relation to a triple homicide in 亚洲天堂 Lake.
Buhler is now being charged with first-degree murder against all three victims. He had been previously charged with three counts of second-degree murder.
The preliminary inquiry was supposed to take place last week in 亚洲天堂 Lake. However, the preliminary inquiry was adjourned.
鈥淭here was unfortunately insufficient court time to deal with the matter,鈥� said Buhler鈥檚 lawyer, Jordan Allingham.
According to Dan McLaughlin, Communications Counsel with the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, the preliminary hearing was adjourned by consent and will be rescheduled for some period in April 2017.
鈥淲e are all frustrated, but we all want the truth,鈥� said Allana Watson, sister-in-law of one of the three people killed on April 27, 2015, in 亚洲天堂 Lake.
Watson, who lives in Kamloops, was planning on travelling to 亚洲天堂 Lake for the preliminary inquiry last week before it was adjourned.
According to Watson, two of the victims - Ridge Vern Vienneau and Ehr Ola Andersen - were roommates. She said her brother-in-law, Mitchel Wade Ruttan, was Vienneau鈥檚 co-worker.
Watson said that on the night prior to the murder, the three individuals were having a barbecue and watching the finals of a hockey game. She said her brother-in-law had been communicating back and forth with his wife via text message, since she was in a different house.
鈥淭hey had been communicating back and forth about the hockey game; nobody communicated about an incident happening,鈥� said Watson. 鈥�6:04 a.m. is when all contact stopped between Mitchel and his wife.鈥�
Buhler was their next door neighbour at the time. Although Watson doesn鈥檛 know what happened that night, she suspects that there wasn鈥檛 a fight involved.
鈥淚f there was a fight going on, his wife would鈥檝e known because they were all talking,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was very unexpected.鈥�
鈥淣obody had a chance,鈥� she added. 鈥淣ot one of them had a chance to call 911; I was absolutely devastated.鈥�
Watson described her brother-in-law as a 鈥渉ardworking taxpayer.鈥�
鈥淢itchel was a family man; he has three little boys,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e would take his kids fishing and hunting.鈥�
The 亚洲天堂 Lake RCMP attended the residence in the 200 block of Fifth Avenue in 亚洲天堂 Lake after receiving a report of potential foul play on April 27, 2015. Neighbours told the RCMP they had heard gun shots ring out earlier that morning. When officers entered the residence, they found three people dead inside.
The focus hearing on Buhler鈥檚 case took place on Feb. 24, 2016, in 亚洲天堂 Lake. The focus hearing dealt with what witnesses Crown will be calling during the preliminary inquiry.
