Lethbridge police have charged a 54-year-old woman with second-degree murder following a fatal stabbing in an apartment complex earlier this year.
Officers were called to the Cambridge House apartments in the 100 block of Columbia Boulevard west at about 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 7. When they arrived, investigators found 56-year-old Frances Candice Little Light injured inside.
She was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
On Tuesday, police announced Little Light’s partner, Jillian Wendy Across the Mountain, who she had been living with, was charged with one count of second-degree murder.
READ MORE: Suspect in custody in Lethbridge murder
An autopsy determined Little Light died as a result of stab wounds. Her family says they are in shock.
“We, as a family, trusted Jillian. We took her under our wings,” Glen Little Light, Fraces’ oldest brother said.
Investigators believe the couple had been involved in an argument that escalated and ultimately resulted in Little Light’s death. Months later, police laid charges.
“I think it’s a big sense of relief for everyone – for us and the investigators – especially with the year we’ve had with homicides,” Staff Sgt. Scott Woods, with the Lethbridge Police Service, said. ” We had two running concurrent and it’s been taxing on investigators.”
Little Light’s family remembers her as a strong and smart woman, who grew up in Siksika First Nation. She later moved to Calgary and then settled in Lethbridge.
Her sister, Karen Little Light, said her sister suffered years of pain in the residential school system and in foster care. Little Light overcame a battle with alcohol abuse and enrolled in university to study social work, a long-time dream, Karen said.
“She was so determined to help her people through the hardship she went through with her struggles on the streets and her addictions,” Karen said.
“That was her goal: to reach out to the people.”
Across the Mountain, 54, was arrested on Monday as she was released from the Lethbridge Correctional Center on unrelated charges.