deadmonton 2006 - evangelina almeida
Evangelina Almeida, 85, was found dead September 15th, 2006.
Joao Almeida, 86, was charged with second-degree murder.
Homicide detectives were first contemplating charges after an 85-year-old grandmother was found dead on the kitchen floor of a north side home.
A call had first come in from a family member just before 1 p.m. on September 15th, 2006. They said they dropped by the two-storey home at 16135 57 Street and discovered the body.
"Due to the circumstances of her death, the woman's death is being treated as suspicious at this time," said a police spokesman without providing further details.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry into the home that neighbours said the woman shared with her 86-year-old husband and a grandson in his late 20s or early 30s.
The seldom-seen Portuguese family moved into the normally quiet upscale cul-de-sac in 2005 and largely kept to themselves.
While the death was not at first ruled a homicide, police treated it as such.
Initial reports indicated the woman was beaten to death. Results of an autopsy completed September 18th, 2006 weren't released.
The Edmonton Sun quoted a female family member who said, "It was an accident and that's all I can say."
The woman refused to elaborate and wouldn't give her name.
Police said the woman's death came as the result of a domestic dispute that involved her 86-year-old husband. They also said there was no one else in the home at the time of the incident except the husband.
The man was not arrested but police said they were contemplating charges.
"Part of the investigation is having discussions with the Crown prosecutor," the spokesman said, adding that once a case is considered a homicide, the possibility of accidental death is ruled out.
The murder was Edmonton's 22nd of the year.
"It's a huge nightmare," said a female relative. "Everyone is in shock."
A close family friend also told the Sun, "He is not a violent man, he is a very nice man. His whole family is an excellent family."
"He has no record of hitting his wife. It had to be an accident."
Joao and Evangelina Almeida had been married for approximately 60 years.
They emigrated from the Azores in the mid-1980s, following their children to Canada. Despite their two-decade stay in Canada, the couple who only speak Portuguese.
Family and friends feel Evangelina's death was an accident and say her husband is devastated and likely near death himself.
"He's not going to live for long; he's so depressed," a friend told the Edmonton Journal. "It's going to get the best of him."
The couple had lived with various family members before moving in with their grandson.
"He's a good man," said another. "He's never had troubles before, just worked hard for the kids."
The Journal quoted Sanjeev Anand, a law professor at the University of Alberta and a former Crown prosecutor, as saying judges are hesitant to send elderly people to jail.
"Extreme age [is] a major mitigating factor," he said.
One option would be to have a manslaughter charge laid – which can carry no jail time provided a firearm was not used.
On December 15th, 2006 homicide detectives, after talking with the Crown prosecutor's office, decided to lay charges against Joao Almeida in connection with his wife's death.
Defence lawyer Brian Beresh made a court appearance on Joao's behalf the morning charges were announced. Jaoa had earlier turned himself in to police accompanied by Beresh.
“We’re going to defend these charges fully,” said Beresh, adding Almeida is the most elderly person he’s ever defended on a murder charge. Almeida turned 87 on December 17th.
Beresh said his client “has nothing to hide.”
Almeida posted bail and was next due in court December 22nd, 2006.
News of the charges came as a surprise to a close Almeida family friend, who maintained the elderly man is not a murderer.
“I don’t care what they say ... I know for sure it was an accident,” the friend told the Edmonton Sun.
Since his wife’s death, Almeida had become a different person, the friend said.
“He was a very active man before that. He would ride the city bus everywhere, he would go to a couple of clubs we have here and talk to the old people.
“But since his wife died, no one sees him anywhere. The poor guy cannot hardly walk anymore and he is very depressed.”
A police spokesman said Almeida’s prompt attendance at headquarters was the result of discussions that had been going on for some time.
"He was released into the custody of his family. His age, and medical conditions, were extenuating factors."
The decision to release Almeida to his family was made jointly by police, Crown prosecutors and Almeida's lawyer.