Paul Whitten was killed in Kamloops Aug. 1.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/GOFUNDME
August 05, 2020 - 6:30 AM
The man who was fatally stabbed in Kamloops this week is being remembered as a kind person, who loved singing and playing guitar.
Paul Samuel Whitten, 39, was allegedly killed Aug. 1 by Jason Michael Holm, who has been charged with one count of second degree murder.
Whitten was from Newfoundland and had been working away from home, in Kamloops, said a friend who asked not to be named.
Whitten, he said, was a father to seven children and his partner has posted a GoFundMe to help her pay to have his body returned to Newfoundland.
“One of my worst nightmares has come true,” Meghan Parsons wrote in the GoFundMe. “Yesterday I had to tell my five beautiful babies that their daddy is gone to heaven. My heart is truly broken, and I have no idea where to start.”
“I’m pleading for your help, anything helps,” she said. “And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
While murder charges have been laid, B.C.’s RCMP watchdog is investigating the circumstances surrounding the Kamloops police may have had a chance to catch Whitten before the killing.
On July 31, Kamloops RCMP received a call from a woman who was concerned about Holmes' mental health, the Independent Investigations Office said in a statement.
"Officers visited the man’s home, but reported being unable to locate him," reads the statement.
On Aug. 1 at 10:34 a.m., officers were called to a neighbouring home, where they found a different man with multiple stab wounds.
"He was taken to hospital, where he died. At 2 p.m., the man whose relative had called police the day prior was arrested in connection with the stabbing," reads the statement.
Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477.
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