A Mission man has now been charged in the 2012 murder of a 75-year-old Port Alberni resident.

Four years ago, RCMP were called to the home of Mervin Hankins on 4th Avenue.

 

His son-in-law had found him, unresponsive, laying on his living room floor. A number of items from his home were also taken and police believe he had been killed during a break and enter.

Despite identifying a suspect early in the investigation, no one was charged in the homicide.

However, the General Investigations Unit kept working on the case and now a second-degree murder charge has been laid against a 46-year-old man, previously of Port Alberni.

Four years may not seem like a long time when some murders go unsolved for decades, but for the Mervin's family, I can only imagine these four years have seemed like an eternity, said Inspector Mac Richards, officer in charge of the Port Alberni RCMP. I can only hope that this announcement will bring them some closure, and allow them to move forward with healing.

 

On Friday, members of the Port Alberni RCMP arrested Channon Coulter, without incident, for Hankins' murder.

"My father was a retired veteran with the Royal Canadian Navy and was 75 years old when he was taken from us," said Mervin's son Joseph in a statement. "He left behind a large family and missed out on the opportunity to see his grandchildren grow up. His murder has deeply impacted us all including his daughter who also passed away a short time later."