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Woman in Kelowna court on charges of murder of partner

Billie-Jo Bennett has been in custody since Dec. 2021
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An RCMP cruiser sits outside a home on Kelowna’s Bechard Road after a suspicious death on Monday, Oct. 18. (Michael Rodriguez/Capital News)

A woman with no previous criminal record appeared in Kelowna courts on Aug. 12 for a charge of second degree murder of her spouse, James Wesley Bennett.

On Oct. 18, 2021, shortly before 7 a.m., Kelowna RCMP responded to a call at a residence on Bechard Road. Officers found the deceased man and arrested Billie-Jo Bennett, 54 at the time. She was released the next day without charge.

Bennett was then apprehended under the Mental Health Act and taken to Kelowna General Hospital. She was arrested again on Dec. 8.

She has been in custody since her arrest.

READ MORE: Kelowna woman charged with murder of partner has case moved to Supreme Court

The Aug. 12, pre-trial conference will be followed up by another appearance on Aug. 30.

The purpose of the conference is to ensure that accurate time estimates have been determined to make sure hearings are completed as scheduled.

Jury selection for the trial is scheduled for January 5, 2023 and the trial will begin on January 9, 2023.

The case is “a matter of intimate partner violence,” said Supt. Kara Triance in a press conference on Oct. 21, 2021. She said the man and the woman were living in the house together and neither of the two were known to police before the incident.

RCMP initially recommended a first-degree murder charge to the B.C. Prosecution Service but it was not approved based on the initial evidence sent, said Triance.


@Rangers_mom
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com

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Jacqueline Gelineau

About the Author: Jacqueline Gelineau

I'm a reporter in the beginning stages of my career. I joined the team at Capital News in November 2021...
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