A Langford woman allegedly killed by her husband was remembered by neighbours as a warm and friendly person who loved her dog.
Ken Weber, 56, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his 55-year-old wife, Kerri Weber, at their home in the Happy Valley area of Langford.
The couple had only been married for just over a year and moved into the home on McLeod Place last November.
West Shore RCMP received a report of an incident on McLeod Place just before 4 p.m. Friday.
Officers found an unresponsive woman when they arrived.
Weber was arrested without incident at the scene.
One neighbour who saw the arrest said officers approached the home with their guns drawn and the male homeowner came out of the house with his hands up. That neighbour said when police knocked on doors in the area, they asked if anyone had heard anything suspicious around 8:30 or 9 Thursday evening.
The neighbour said he didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Forensic investigators and the B.C. Coroner Service were also at the home, which was blocked off by police tape until Sunday.
Kerri Weber, 55, was bubbly and friendly, said neighbour Christopher White.
White said he brought gingerbread cookies to welcome the couple to the neighbourhood when they moved in. He said Kerri loved to tend to her garden.
On Sunday, someone left a single yellow rose on the couple’s driveway and later that day, White added a bouquet from his garden to express his condolences. More flowers have been added to the driveway since then.
On Oct. 25, Kerri posted a photo to Facebook of her and Ken smiling while she sat on his lap.
They were married in September 2019 at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. On social media, a photo of the couple on their wedding day shows Kerri wearing a white dress and holding a white and silver bouquet of roses while Ken, who has short grey hair, stands next to her in a dark grey suit.
The home on McLeod Place is owned by Kenneth Lawrence Weber and Kerri Ann Weber. They purchased the home for $585,000 on Nov. 18, 2019. The two-storey home has a well-kept garden and a pumpkin outside. It’s unclear where the couple moved from, but Kerri’s Facebook profile said she was from Moose Jaw, Sask.
White said he’d always say hi to Kerri when she was working on her garden or walking her small dog along the street. Ken was more reserved and didn’t chat much, the neighbour said.
White said the crime has shocked residents of the the quiet, family friendly street. “It’s so close to home,” he said. “You see it on TV or on movies but you never would expect it right there.”
Some who knew Kerri said her death raises concerns about domestic violence, particularly in advance of Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Agencies that help people experiencing domestic or sexualized violence are reporting that the demand for their services is higher than ever, said Tracy Porteous, executive director of the Ending Violence Association of B.C.
Porteous said her organization connects with about 300 anti-violence programs and initiatives province-wide and most of them are reporting that not only are reports of domestic or sexual violence way up, “the severity of violence is worse than it’s ever been before.”
Nurse examiners who treat domestic or sexual violence victims have also confirmed that the level of violence is more severe, Porteous said. Research has shown that the pandemic has negatively impacted people’s mental health which could lead to higher substance use and financial instability, which can be domestic violence risk factors, Porteous said.
West Shore RCMP spokeswoman Const. Nancy Saggar could not confirm whether the killing was related to domestic violence and could not say whether police have been called to the residence in the past.
The investigation is being conducted by the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit along with the RCMP and the Integrated Forensic Identification Services. Ken Weber is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 19.
The RCMP said this appears be an isolated incident and is unrelated to any other ongoing investigations taking place on the Island.
