Photo Chung Chow
The man accused in the 2017 murder of a Marpole couple has been ordered to stand trial in B.C. Supreme Court following a preliminary inquiry.
Dianna Mah-Jones, 65, and Richard Jones, 68, were found dead Sept. 27, 2017 in their home on West 64th Avenue near Hudson Street.
After an intensive six-week investigation, that included more than 200 officers and civilian members, Vancouver police in November announced the arrest of Rocky Rambo Wei Nam Kam, 25. He was initially charged with two counts of second degree murder. However, the charges were elevated to first degree murder on July 30.
A representative from the B.C. Prosecution Service would not comment on why the charges were changed, just saying that as the case “moves through the system, additional evidence may become available or the evidence may change” and the prosecution may change the charges.
The preliminary inquiry, which is used to determine if there is enough evidence to take a case to trial in B.C. Supreme Court, concluded Monday after several days in B.C. Provincial Court with the judge ordering Kam to stand trial.
His first appearance in Supreme Court is scheduled for Dec. 5 in Vancouver to set a trial date.
According to police, Kam was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada with his family when he was a teenager. The family settled in Calgary, Chief Adam Palmer said following the arrest, and Kam moved to Vancouver in July 2017. He was staying at a home not far from the crime scene.
Mah-Jones was a well-respected occupational therapist at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre and Vancouver General Hospital. In 2015 she was named the Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists of B.C. and in June 2017 she was honoured by the health authority as B.C.’s Health Care Hero at the annual Health Care Awards.
At the time he was arrested, Palmer said investigators had not been able to determine a motive for the crime or a link between Kam and the couple.
