NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
www.pentictonwesternnews.com
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Businesswoman hopes to inject arts into downtown core
VOL. 49 ISSUE 28
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Photos from the Chopaka Rodeo
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015
Penticton seniors dying wish to save colony of cats
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entertainment Many Hats Theatre Co. shooting for the stars
NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
BUBBLING WITH JOY — Two-year-old Sydney Maier gets reacts to the surprise bubble coming from this small piece of plastic at one of the stations during the LocoLanding Easter Egg Hunt April 6. About 1,500 people took part again this year raising about $7,000 for the OSNS Child and Youth Development Centre. For story and more photos see Pages 26 and 27.
Mark Brett/Penticton Western News
KOOPMANS FATE LEFT TO JURY Dale Boyd
Western News Staff
The fate of the man accused of a double murder in Princeton will soon be in the hands of 12 jurors. The closing arguments were made in the case of John Ike Koopmans, 51, in B.C. Supreme Court in Penticton Tuesday. Koopmans is charged with two counts of murder in relation to the deaths of Robert Keith Wharton, 43, and Rosemary Fox, 32, and one count of attempted murder relating to the shooting of Bradley Martin, 51. Before beginning his closing
arguments, defence counsel Don Skogstad said that despite a court order, Koopmans was unable to call his girlfriend over the Easter weekend. “Their response to your order is ‘we’ll think about it,’” Skogstad said, calling it “deliberate arrogance” from those involved. Skogstad also noted that Koopmans was unable to shower or brush his teeth upon arriving in Penticton and that even he had difficulties meeting his client in person and receiving phone calls from Koopmans. Before he began reviewing the evidence, Skogstad noted the length
of the now three month long trial. “It’s been a long, long trial. This is about as long as they get in this area,” Skogstad said. Skogstad reminded the jurors of their duty as well. “You’re in control here, you’re in charge. Not myself, not my friend, not the judge,” he said. He said the evidence that was presented over the last few months “does not prove the case” and there were inconsistencies and anomalies to be explored. Crown prosecutor Frank Dubenski disagreed in his closing arguments saying that the case comes down to basic facts.
Dubenski began by listing out the key facts including the blood stains on Koopmans’ jeans and jacket, the radiating blood spatter confirmed by experts, the ammunition for a .357 handgun and a holster found at Elaine Hoiland’s residence on the night of the incident and a swab from the bullets testing positive for Koopmans’ DNA. “It’s not a question of who did this, but why they did this,” Dubenski said. Dubenski classified the discovery of the alleged murder weapon in the Similkameen river as “good police work” saying that investigators located a boot print, connected
the leaves in the area with the leaves found in Koopmans boot upon his arrest and connected the dots to locate the gun in the river. Skogstad’s closing arguments started by focusing on the testimony of Bradley Martin, the lone eye witness who testified he was shot on March 30, 2013 by Koopmans. Skogstad called him “opaquely unreliable” pointing to contradicting statements from emergency personnel on the scene who denied that they tried to prevent Martin from getting in to the ambulance that night. See KOOPMANS on PG.3
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