Suspect in senior's slaying had long record
Last Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009 | 10:16 AM MT
CBC News
The man recently charged with murder in the 1987 fatal beating of an elderly Edmonton woman has a long list of criminal convictions and a history of addictions, parole documents obtained by CBC News reveal.
Charles William Abou, 41, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Lillian Berube, 83.
Berube died from her injuries days after she fought off an intruder in her northeast Edmonton house, where she lived alone.
Abou is also charged with breaking and entering. He will make his first court appearance in Edmonton on Friday.
According to parole board documents, Abou has more than 45 criminal convictions on his record, including three assaults, with the other offences being mostly property related.
The parole board noted Abou had a history of breaking into homes while they were occupied. In two cases, he entered houses that were occupied by women.
Throughout his life, Abou has also struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, including the use of heroin and crack cocaine.
When police first investigated Berube's slaying in 1987, they identified and investigated several suspects. But Abou wasn't on their radar until they received information in September that prompted them to do more forensic testing.
When Abou was arrested, he was in a federal prison in Abbotsford, B.C. serving a two-year sentence for drug possession and break and enter. He is now being held at the Edmonton Remand Centre.
