VANCOUVER — Two lifelong friends of Randy Janzen are speaking out tonight, defending the man who is suspected of murdering his daughter, wife and sister and then committing suicide. Police still have not confirmed the names of the victims.
In a Facebook post published Thursday on an account that appeared to be operated by Janzen, he talks about his daughter Emily suffering from migraines and depression. He wrote that he couldn’t see her in pain anymore, and that he killed her along with his wife, Laurel and his sister, Shelly.
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“When I read that Facebook post I could not believe what I was reading. I couldn’t believe it. It made me sick to my stomach,” Brian Jones told Global News. “My hands were shaking. I thought I was going to throw up.”
He immediately tried to call Janzen. When no one picked up, Jones said he left work and drove with a friend to Shelly’s home in Langley. She didn’t answer. He saw three days worth of papers stacked up — Shelly delivered papers for a living — and immediately knew something was seriously wrong.
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But friends say Janzen was not violent and that he had never shot a gun in his life.
“Randy’s not a monster. I don’t know what happened to him. He was a kind and gentle soul,” said Jones.
Emily’s social media accounts tell the story of a young woman who was battling with serious pain issues. On March 24, she tweeted, “I need this life to be over.” Fraser Health confirmed she had been treated by the health authority, but has provided no other details.
Her health issues consumed Janzen, friends say. But they didn’t see any warning signs and knew him to be a loving husband, father and big brother.
“I’d like people to reserve their judgments until all the information comes out and appreciate the man for who he was,” said family friend Wendy Wootton.
—With files from Jeremy Hunka and The Canadian Press
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