Penticton Western News, April 01, 2015

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NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN

www.pentictonwesternnews.com

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news

Rash of thefts has Penticton RCMP issuing warning

VOL. 49 ISSUE 26

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WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2015

9

entertainment Marilyn Manson strikes a chord with fans

Murder trial almost over

15

sports Vees d-man Miles Gendron

steps up his game in playoffs

NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN Dale Boyd

Western News Staff

Crown prosecutor Frank Dubenski suggested a grizzly version of events in which the accused shot his friend three times in the head before turning the gun on two others. “I didn’t shoot anybody,� said John Ike Koopmans, who is charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in relation to the 2013 deaths of Keith Wharton and Rosemary Fox in Princeton. “I had no reason to hate Keith, no reason at that point to be angry with him,� Koopmans said. “That’s because he was dead,� Dubenski replied, adding he had no further questions for the accused. On Monday, Koopmans sat on the stand recalling his whereabouts exactly two years ago to the day. He said he was drinking and “overreacted� to an argument with his former girlfriend Elaine Hoiland before swearing at her and leaving her residence to walk across Princeton to the Wharton property on Old Hedley Road. Earlier in the trial, Koopmans alleged that he would often stay in a camper on the Wharton property after he’d had an argument with Hoiland, something he said he had done multiple times in the past. He said he walked with a bottle of vodka in hand to the Old Hedley Road property, where he found the lights in the Wharton’s residence were off. He alleges he continued down Old Hedley Road with the intention of stopping at an acquaintances house. When the lights were off at that residence as well, Koopmans said he turned around and headed back towards the Wharton residence.

lice at the Wharton residence and decided not to get involved. “Did it not worry you that something had happened?� Dubenski asked. Koopmans replied he thought Keith

crack cocaine and that he “didn’t want to get involved in the drug bust.� “Last time I was there and the police were there, they pulled me over every time they saw me in a vehicle,� Koopmans said. Koopmans said he took a path between the Wharton property and the bordering Weyerhaeuser Mill property to get to the camper where he was found and arrested on March 31, 2013. “I’m suggesting that this story of you walking to the camper is just that, a story,� Dubenski said. “That’s what happened, that’s what I did that night.� Koopmans replied. Dubenski suggested that Koopmans had shot Wharton and Fox and, when he shot but failed to kill Bradley Martin, he the empty shell casings out of the murder weapon before disposing of it in the Similkameen River. “Those people are my friends, I had no reason to shoot them,� Koopmans replied. “Were you so drunk that you don’t remember everything you did that night?� Dubenski said. “No,� Koopmans replied. Earlier in the trial, Koopmans provided his explanation as to why Keith Wharton’s blood was found on the clothes he was wearing when he was arrested. He said that he and Wharton were salvaging some scrap lumber on March 20, 2013 when Wharton was injured by a large sliver.

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE — Marilyn Manson performs the opening song on stage at the South Okanagan Events Centre, March 28 in front of a fired-up, capacity crowd during the Penticton stop on the Hell Not Hallelujah tour. For concert review and more photos see Page 9.

Mark Brett/Pentiton Western News

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