Police release name of 85-year-old Vernon, B.C. homicide victim

The family of an 85-year-old man allegedly murdered by his 95-year-old roommate at a special-care facility in Vernon, B.C. has cleared the police to identify him in order to humanize him.

On Thursday, the RCMP issued a statement confirming that William May died last weekend in the Polson Special Care facility – a secure centre for largely elderly patients with dementia complicated by behavioural or psychiatric illnesses.

"Earlier today family members called the Vernon RCMP detachment and advised they would like to have dad's name released to the public so people would know who it was instead of him always being referred to as the victim," Gordon Molendyk, a spokesman for the Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP said in a statement.

The statement described Mr. May as a "fairly long time resident" of the Okanagan community where he died.

Until now, the police as well as the Interior Health authority were declining to identify the deceased in the incident, citing privacy concerns from the family.

In an interview, Mr. Molendyk also said the family realized that many of Mr. May's contemporaries are elderly and do not use social media so the release of his name would quickly communicate news of the tragedy.

He said the family has been "taken aback" by the situation, especially because it happened in a care home.

Mr. May had been at the facility for some time. His recently arrived roommate John Furman, a decorated Second World War soldier, has been charged with second-degree murder following an incident on Sunday night.

RCMP called to the facility determined a homicide had taken place and Mr. Furman was taken into custody.

He had a court appearance on Wednesday and is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 25.