A man has been charged in the double murder of a Vancouver couple but the motive behind the incident remains unclear.
The BC Prosecution Service has confirmed that 25-year-old Rockie Rambo Wei Nam Kam is facing two counts of second-degree murder in the killing of 68-year-old Richard Jones and 64-year-old Dianna Mah-Jones.
The pair are believed to have been killed at their Marpole home in September.
Kam, who has no criminal record in B.C., is due back in court in Vancouver on Nov. 14. At a press conference on Wednesday, Vancouver police Chief Adam Palmer confirmed Kam has no criminal record and no history of any mental health issues.
He also confirmed the incident has nothing to do with gang violence.
Kam was born in Hong Kong but moved to Alberta as a teenager. He then moved to Vancouver about four months ago and police say he has no known employer.
He did live close to the victims at the time of their deaths.
Prosecutors say they won’t make any further comment on the accused or the details of the case because it is now before the courts.
“There’s still a long road ahead as this case is before the courts but we are confident the case gathered against this suspect is solid,” said Palmer.
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WATCH: Vehicle linked to Vancouver double murder located
Double murder
The killing of Mah-Jones and her husband, Vancouver’s 14th and 15th homicides of the year, shocked the community.
Mah-Jones was a respected occupational therapist with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), working at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre and Vancouver General Hospital, and had won several awards.
The pair were found at their home near West 64th Avenue and Hudson Street on Sept. 27.
Police struggled to find a motive at the time of the killing, describing the attack as possibly random.
Investigators told residents they didn’t believe the public was at risk, but also asked for neighbours to keep an eye out for suspicious circumstances “out of an abundance of caution.”
WATCH: Marpole double murder
In the wake of the murders, police initially put out an alert for the couple’s vehicle, which was later found parked several blocks from the crime scene.
But other details of the case remain unclear, including the manner in which the couple died. Forensic specialists, including a blood spatter expert, were called to the property to collect evidence.
Sources have told Global News that a hatchet was found at the scene of the crime, and that the victims’ bodies were “hacked up.”
The couple also ran an Airbnb suite out of their home, however the short-term rental company said the unit was unoccupied on the date of the murder.
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