Confusion and anger in wake of tainted evidence and a failed B.C. murder case

The residents of Agassiz, B.C., were left in shock and anger after Frederick Charlie was acquitted of second-degree murder in the killing of Vanessa Terry last month. Gena Edwards, president of the BC Native Women's Association, expressed the collective sadness of the Indigenous woman's family as they walked out of the court in tears.

The case against Charlie crumbled when a judge ruled that his confession and statements were tainted by "oppressive" and "humiliating" conditions during his time in custody, including an undercover officer urinating on himself as Charlie's cellmate. Terry's stepmother, Angela Smith, said she was devastated and "really mad" when the accused was released on July 20.

She questioned why the Crown lacked any evidence to call after Charlie's statements were deemed inadmissible. Terry's sister, Mia Roberts, admitted to being "angry" and "deafened" by the sudden news about the missing evidence, as the prosecution had led them to believe they had a solid case. The B.C. Prosecution Service stated that the court's decision on the admissibility of evidence was under review, with the appeal window remaining open until August 19.