Jason Misner
Aug 28, 2005
Halton police arrested a man late Thursday afternoon in connection with
Burlington's first murder of the year -- the third in Halton.
Police received a 911 call at around 5 p.m. When officers arrived at a
Banting Court address, a woman at the scene had "obvious
signs of trauma to her body," said Halton police Sgt. Jeff Corey.
Dead is Linh Tran, 48.
"(We) acknowledge it's a husband and wife situation," Corey
said. While
the
police wouldn't reveal the cause of the woman's death,
one neighbour told the Post he heard it involved a stabbing.
Corey said the suspect required medical attention at the scene because of
a
possible drug overdose. He was rushed to Joseph Brant
Memorial Hospital. He is expected to recover and was to be formally charged
with second-degree murder once his health improves.
A court date has yet to be set.
Police wouldn't say if it was a murder-suicide attempt.
"We can't speculate (about) what he was trying to do until he's
interviewed," Corey said.
Residents maintain the east-end neighbourhood, where it's not unusual for
the streets to be full of children playing, is safe.
They are rocked by the murder.
Those interviewed by the Post say the family kept to themselves and were
very quiet. They were so private that none of the residents i
nterviewed knew the family's names.
The family never caused any problems, several said.
"They just kept to themselves," said longtime neighbour John
Lubera,
noting
he saw about seven police cruisers descend on the red-bricked
house Thursday.
Yellow police tape, reflecting the hot sun, surrounded the tidy, one-car
garage townhouse Friday. Police cruisers were parked in the front
and at the rear of the unit.
A red, yellow and blue playground located is a few feet away, with a
basketball court not far behind the jungle gym.
Ten-year resident Toni Donaldson, who lives behind the residence, said
they
kept to themselves.
"I don't think they speak English very well," she said, noting
she thinks
a
number of family members live in the home.
"It's kind of eerie," she said of the death.
Domestic violence has been in the media spotlight this year. In February
four women were allegedly murdered by their partners.
In Toronto, between January 2003 and April of this year, 18 women have
been
killed in domestic disputes in Toronto.
Ten of these deaths occurred while the women were attempting to leave their
partners or had already separated.
A 2005 report by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics states that
three-quarters (76 per cent) of all homicide-suicides in
Canada between 1961 and 2003 involved family members. Male spouses or
ex-spouses committed more than half of the cases,
and 97 per cent of victims were female spouses.
A 2000 StatsCan report stated the rate of spousal homicide has declined
gradually over the past two decades, particularly wife killings.
While not speaking to Thursday's murder, Susan Jewett, executive director
of the Burlington Counselling and Family Services, said
domestic violence is a concern everyone needs to be aware of in order to
know where to get help.
"Domestic violence is really a public issue," she said.
"It affects many
families, it affects any income level, any educational level, any
cultural background. People think of it as a private family matter --
that's
just a huge problem."
Meanwhile, Corey said police have arrested suspects in all three of
Halton's murder cases this year. Also, he said the suspects knew
their victims in each case and were not random attacks.
"Any single tragedy certainly impacts the community," he said.
Halton, Corey stressed, remains a safe place to reside. Earlier this
summer
it was revealed that the region's crime rate dropped by
10 per cent this year versus last year.
Me-Ke Tran, 54, of Banting Court faces a charge of second-degree murder.
Reporter Jason Misner can be reached at jmisner@burlingtonpost.com
613-797-3237