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Richmond woman charged with murdering invalid husband of 40 years

Richmond woman charged with murdering invalid husband of 40 years - image

The wife of a 61-year-old Richmond man found dead on Jan. 26 has been charged with his murder.

John Alexander was found at his home in the 11900-block of Aztec Dr. after a woman phoned 911 at about 1:30 p.m. claiming to need medical attention. His wife Jo Anne Alexander, 61, has been apprehended under the Mental Health Act and charged with second-degree murder.

When Richmond RCMP arrived they found Alexander dead at the home and a woman conscious but incoherent.

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Alexander’s death was deemed suspicious but later upgraded to a homicide. An autopsy found he had died of blunt head trauma. He had been dead for an “unknown period of time,” said Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. She said the victim could have been dead hours or a day.

“At this time a lot of the answers to the questions we just don’t have,” she said.

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The victim was in poor health, having undergone brain surgery to treat his epilepsy, and his wife was his primary caregiver. The couple had two adult children. They had been married 40 years and there was no history of domestic abuse between the couple.

Jo Anne Alexander remains in custody in a psychiatric facility where she is undergoing further mental evaluation. Her next court appearance is February 15.

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