As police in Manitoba work to piece together what led a man to allegedly kill his parents and stab a co-worker in a brazen attack at a Winnipeg hospital, the suspect’s mother is being remembered as a vibrant and energetic woman who was devoted to sustainable farming.
Judy Swain, 73, was found dead at a home in the Rural Municipality of Hanover Wednesday.
Police allege the same suspect in Swain’s homicide is responsible for the death of a man in his 70s found dead in a Toronto Street home in Winnipeg, as well as an attack later in the day at Seven Oaks Hospital that left a health-care worker in her 60s critically injured.
Global News has confirmed the victim in the hospital attack is Candyce Szkwarek, who was last reported to be in stable, but critical condition following surgery Thursday.
Police have said the suspect — a man in his 30s — was known to all three victims, but Global News has learned he is the son of Swain and the man found dead in Winnipeg.
Phil Veldhuis knew Swain through their work as directors with Direct Farm Manitoba, a member-owned cooperative of direct marketing farmers and farmers’ markets in the province.
He says he was shocked to hear about the death of the “giving and caring person” he’s known for a decade.
“It’s one of those things that you never would have thought would happen,” Veldhuis told Global News Friday.
“Judy was a person who always stepped forward willing to volunteer, willing to come to meetings, willing to step forward and be a leader.
“She was just this very bright light.”
Veldhuis said Swain owned and operated a small farm called Tri-Pop Farms on her property in New Bothwell, raising chickens and other livestock. A statement posted on the farm’s website says the operation used locally sourced, organic and chemical-free feed whenever possible.
“All the animals and birds are raised outdoors, in sunshine and air, with mud to root in or dirt to scratch in. They are as content as I can make them. I believe that is important,” reads a section of the website attributed to Swain.
“Animals raised in comfort will, in turn, be good for our bodies and our spirits too.”
Dave Dyck of New Bothwell Country Style Meats said Swain was a regular customer of theirs and he remembered her as kind when a reporter from 680 CJOB stopped by Thursday.
“She was always coming in fall time and get some animals processed. And other than that, I just think she was really friendly, sweet lady, would try to help everybody that she could,” he said.
Veldhuis said Swain was also a dancer, and dance was so important to her that Direct Farm Manitoba meetings were often organized around the schedule of her dance group.
“She loved the energy of being in motion,” he said.
“When she talked about (dance) she always got a twinkle in her eye — she was a person of tremendous personal energy.”
The investigation into the two homicides and the attack on Szkwarek are continuing by Manitoba RCMP and Winnipeg police. There’s been no word from investigators on a possible motive.
Anyone with information about the assault or the homicides is asked to call Winnipeg police at 204-986-6508, RCMP at 431-489-8105, or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS.
— with files from Marney Blunt and Clay Young