Latest news with #BaileyPlover
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Man accused in Bailey Plover's death appears in court on 2nd-degree murder charge
Close to 100 people gathered outside the Kelowna Law Courts building ahead of James Edward Plover's appearance. Plover is charged with second-degree murder after a daylight attack on two women last week in which Bailey Plover was killed. As Kimberly Davidson reports, James Plover had just been convicted of uttering threats and choking in a domestic case that morning.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
People rally in Kelowna as B.C. man charged with murder in woman's death appears in court
Hugs, tears, and signs with slogans in protest of domestic abuse filled the steps of the Kelowna Law Courts building on Thursday, ahead of James Plover's first appearance in court on a charge of second-degree murder. Plover is accused in the death of Bailey Plover, who died after an attack in a parking lot on Enterprise Way on July 4 that put another woman in the hospital. "I think all the trauma in my life has led me to be strong for this day," said Karen Fehr, Bailey Plover's mother, outside of the courthouse. Fehr said she learned of the attack around 11 that night after she found a note to call Bailey's friends, stuck to the door of her house. "She had been passed away for an hour and a half by the time I heard," said Fehr. "I wondered all night where she was." Fehr said she had moved in with her daughter and grandchildren three days before Bailey's homicide. "She called out to me on Mother's Day, terrified," said Fehr. "Every night she was sleeping a little bit better, but every day she would wake back up and it would be the same thing." Plover was convicted of three counts of uttering threats and one count of assault by strangling on the same day as the attack that killed Bailey. Court documents indicate a case of intimate partner violence. Fehr said her daughter had texted her the morning of Plover's conviction. "I messaged back right away and said, see, there you go, you know, this is all happening because you're taking the steps necessary to stand up for yourself," said Fehr. "She got this good news; she probably went out to celebrate on lunch hour. And that was her last lunch hour." Now in custody, Plover is due in court again on Sept. 16 and will be sentenced on his assault conviction later that month. The case has drawn the attention of the community and beyond to the issue of intimate partner violence. Nearly 100 people showed up at the courthouse on Thursday in support. Libbie Philips, the owner of a dessert store in Kelowna, said she first heard of the fatal attack from a post on social media, then later learned the identity of the victim through a news article she read to her husband. "I stopped mid-sentence when I got to the victim's name… it hit close to home," said Philips, who says she helped Bailey Plover choose desserts for her wedding day. Philips said she knew Bailey to be a proud mom, with a bright smile, but she had been open on social media about what she was going through. Philips is hosting a "Bailey's Day" fundraiser at her shop, Cupcasions, on July 15 to support Bailey Plover's children. The funds raised will be managed by the children's maternal grandfather. A survivor of domestic abuse. Philips says more needs to be done to protect women against violent offenders. "When it comes to violence, those offenders need to be put in custody, they need to be kept away because they walk away from that courthouse mad, because now they've lost," said Philips. "And it leaves the victims a target." "Bailey was very clear; she posted on her social media that she was afraid, and clearly she had a reason," Philips said. A statement by Kelowna RCMP says police held an event on community safety Thursday at Angel's Way parking lot for an opportunity to address community concerns in response to the July 4 attack. According to data from Statistics Canada, there were around 124,000 victims of intimate partner violence aged 12 years and older across the country in 2023. Forty-four per cent of women and girls from the age of 15 who have been in a relationship have reported intimate partner violence, physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, at some point in their lives. A Government of British Columbia website says 80 per cent of women who experience intimate partner violence don't report it to the police. Fehr said the justice system has failed her daughter and others like her "in every way, shape or form." "You know, when you walk into that courtroom, anything can happen," Fehr said. "I've never believed in justice, and I'm never going to believe in justice."
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
People rally in Kelowna as B.C. man charged with murder in woman's death appears in court
Hugs, tears, and signs with slogans in protest of domestic abuse filled the steps of the Kelowna Law Courts building on Thursday, ahead of James Plover's first appearance in court on a charge of second-degree murder. Plover is accused in the death of Bailey Plover, who died after an attack in a parking lot on Enterprise Way on July 4 that put another woman in the hospital. "I think all the trauma in my life has led me to be strong for this day," said Karen Fehr, Bailey Plover's mother, outside of the courthouse. Fehr said she learned of the attack around 11 that night after she found a note to call Bailey's friends, stuck to the door of her house. "She had been passed away for an hour and a half by the time I heard," said Fehr. "I wondered all night where she was." Fehr said she had moved in with her daughter and grandchildren three days before Bailey's homicide. "She called out to me on Mother's Day, terrified," said Fehr. "Every night she was sleeping a little bit better, but every day she would wake back up and it would be the same thing." Plover was convicted of three counts of uttering threats and one count of assault by strangling on the same day as the attack that killed Bailey. Court documents indicate a case of intimate partner violence. Fehr said her daughter had texted her the morning of Plover's conviction. "I messaged back right away and said, see, there you go, you know, this is all happening because you're taking the steps necessary to stand up for yourself," said Fehr. "She got this good news; she probably went out to celebrate on lunch hour. And that was her last lunch hour." Now in custody, Plover is due in court again on Sept. 16 and will be sentenced on his assault conviction later that month. 'More needs to be done' The case has drawn the attention of the community and beyond to the issue of intimate partner violence. Nearly 100 people showed up at the courthouse on Thursday in support. Libbie Philips, the owner of a dessert store in Kelowna, said she first heard of the fatal attack from a post on social media, then later learned the identity of the victim through a news article she read to her husband. "I stopped mid-sentence when I got to the victim's name… it hit close to home," said Philips, who says she helped Bailey Plover choose desserts for her wedding day. Philips said she knew Bailey to be a proud mom, with a bright smile, but she had been open on social media about what she was going through. Philips is hosting a "Bailey's Day" fundraiser at her shop, Cupcasions, on July 15 to support Bailey Plover's children. The funds raised will be managed by the children's maternal grandfather. A survivor of domestic abuse. Philips says more needs to be done to protect women against violent offenders. "When it comes to violence, those offenders need to be put in custody, they need to be kept away because they walk away from that courthouse mad, because now they've lost," said Philips. "And it leaves the victims a target." "Bailey was very clear; she posted on her social media that she was afraid, and clearly she had a reason," Philips said. A statement by Kelowna RCMP says police held an event on community safety Thursday at Angel's Way parking lot for an opportunity to address community concerns in response to the July 4 attack. According to data from Statistics Canada, there were around 124,000 victims of intimate partner violence aged 12 years and older across the country in 2023. Forty-four per cent of women and girls from the age of 15 who have been in a relationship have reported intimate partner violence, physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, at some point in their lives. A Government of British Columbia website says 80 per cent of women who experience intimate partner violence don't report it to the police. Fehr said the justice system has failed her daughter and others like her "in every way, shape or form." "You know, when you walk into that courtroom, anything can happen," Fehr said. "I've never believed in justice, and I'm never going to believe in justice."
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. man charged with murdering Bailey Plover was convicted of assault hours earlier
The man accused of murdering his estranged wife, Bailey Plover, in a Kelowna, B.C., parking lot last week had been convicted of choking someone and uttering threats just hours before Friday's attack that also left a second woman seriously hurt. The BC Prosecution Service says James Plover was originally charged in June 2024 in a case involving intimate partner violence, before being released on $500 bail and subject to what it says were 'extensive protective conditions.' James Plover was then charged with two more counts of uttering threats, the original case was stayed, and he was convicted last week in the new case that folded in the previous charges, with the victims' identities protected by a publication ban. Bailey Plover's uncle, Morey Maslak, says she had been estranged from James Plover since last year, and she was a 'loving, devoted mother' with a great sense of humour and a carefree happy-go-lucky nature. Maslak says her death was the result of a 'heinous' act that has left her family and friends 'hurting very, very badly.' He says her father, Shane McCourt, is 'not well' after his daughter's death, and the family is now started along the 'difficult path' of providing her young children with love and stability. Police in Kelowna said James Plover was charged with second-degree murder as a result of what it called a 'highly visible and tragic event.' Maslak said the family was working with investigators, and amid their grief they' are grateful and thankful to the many witnesses who came forward about the assault, leading to the arrest. James and Bailey Plover were involved in family law litigation, online court records show, and their file was last updated just over a week before she was killed. The young mother's social media accounts are under her maiden name, Bailey McCourt, and her Instagram profile calls her a 'mama of two,' a 'sports addict' and a 'domestic abuse survivor.' Maslak said the family was aware of 'incidents previously' between the estranged couple. 'In hindsight, maybe not to the extent of her concerns, and that's something that we're going to need to work through and deal with for the rest of our lives,' he said. News of the attack that police originally described as 'a motor vehicle incident and subsequent assault' spread quickly in the community. Local real estate agent Justin Wyllie said his girlfriend knew Bailey McCourt, and he knows people who worked with her at a local real estate brokerage. He has been sharing an open letter addressed to Kelowna MP Stephen Fuhr. The letter to the Liberal MP says Bailey McCourt is 'one more name on a growing list of Canadians failed by a legal system that has become dangerously lenient.' 'We're all beside ourselves to see something like this happen in our community,' Wyllie said in an interview. 'There should be shame. The government should feel shame, the court system should feel shame. And we need to step up as a country and say No to this.' Justice reform and anti-violence advocate Cait Alexander said hearing of Bailey McCourt's killing was 'chilling' because of commonalities faced by victims of domestic violence in Canada when abusers are let out on bail. 'It's chilling because this is a direct result of bad policy. Bailey should be alive,' Alexander said. She said her ex-partner was also let out on $500 bail in 2021 after he allegedly tried to kill her, and she moved to the United States out of fear of encountering him in Toronto. Alexander's organization, End Violence Everywhere, is urging Canadian policy makers to implement meaningful bail reforms to protect survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. 'Survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and other violent crimes continue to be retraumatized by a bail system that too often prioritizes offender freedom over victim safety,' End Violence Everywhere said in a statement issued July 4. Maslak said his niece's death was 'traumatic' and affected many people and 'if there's anything that can come from this, you know, how many more times is this story, or a similar nature, going to play out before we're able to look at our judicial processes and understand how we can support people?' 'Obviously our family is struggling to try and make sense of any of this,' Maslak said. 'She was a loving, devoted mother, a beautiful daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin and friend and that's how we'll remember her.' Kelowna RCMP said it's holding a 'community outreach event' on July 10 after the 'tragic death' last week, the same day James Plover is due in a Kelowna courtroom on the second-degree murder charge. 'We understand that this event has caused significant concerns to the community and people may have questions about their safety and the incidents that they either witnessed or were involved in,' said Cpl. Allison Konsmo in a statement. 'This is a time for residents, community members and the public to come together, voice their concerns, ask questions and connect with resources.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.
CBC
6 days ago
- CBC
B.C. man charged with murdering woman also convicted of choking on the day of the attack
The man who was charged with second-degree murder after a public attack in Kelowna, B.C., on Friday was convicted of uttering threats and choking that same day. James Edward Plover was charged in relation to the death of Bailey Plover in what Kelowna RCMP called a "highly visible and tragic event" on Friday at a parking lot on Enterprise Way. The B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that James Plover was convicted of three counts of uttering threats, and one count of assault by strangling on the day of the attack. Court documents indicated the case concerned intimate partner violence. Plover was under a bail order, with a $500 cash deposit and "extensive protective conditions," on the day of the Friday attack, according to the prosecution service. In addition to Bailey Plover, one more female victim of the attack, who was known to James Plover, was hospitalized with serious injuries, Kelowna RCMP said Saturday. CBC News has been unable to confirm the exact nature of the relationship between James and Bailey Plover. However, a family member told CBC News that there was a history of domestic violence in the relationship, prompting calls for more support for domestic violence victims in B.C. Charges sworn last year A publication ban is in place on the names of the victims in the uttering threats and choking case that James Plover was convicted of, according to the prosecution service. He was charged with one count each of uttering threats and assault by choking on June 23, 2024, and two more charges of uttering threats were sworn the following month. The trial for the case happened on April 16 and 17, 2025, and a judge convicted Plover of all four counts on Friday, July 4. "A pre-sentence report with a psychological component was ordered by the court, and the matter was adjourned to September 16, 2025, for a sentencing hearing," wrote a spokesperson for the Crown. Plover remained under his court-ordered bail conditions after his conviction on Friday. After Plover was arrested later that day, however, the Crown said that prosecutors applied to revoke his bail order. He remains in custody, with his next court appearance on July 10. At an unrelated news conference on Monday, B.C. Premier David Eby said he was pressing the federal government to enact bail reform. "We've been pressing the federal government aggressively to improve our bail system, to make sure that violent offenders are kept behind bars ... to ensure that intimate partner violence, violence against women in relationships specifically, was named as an area for bail reform," he said. "[This is a] tragic, timely reminder of the importance of that work, and we hope the federal government works very quickly to get that in place."
