A friend of a man killed in Castlegar more than a year ago says she’s “extremely disappointed” no one has yet been held accountable for what happened.
Jean-Luc (Jelly) Noel Levesque, 51, died on Aug. 11, 2022 in what police classified as a homicide.
At around 11:30 p.m. that day they responded to a call of an unresponsive man near the CIBC at 1801 Columbia Ave.
A witness told Vista Radio that prior to the incident, a group had been hanging around the bank. Some of them left, leaving two men who got into an argument. One then drove away, even as the argument persisted.
The cause of death has not been revealed, no arrests have been made, and police have not provided any further updates.
RCMP Sgt. Monty Taylor said this week they are still looking into the case but “to protect the integrity of the investigation no further information will be released.”
He encouraged anyone with information to contact them at 250-365-7721.
Helen Luskova, who considers herself part of Levesque’s adoptive family, said she spoke with police a while ago but didn’t learn much. She’s not aware that his family has heard anything either.
“It’s been very hard for us not to have any justice,” she said.
“There are some people out there either in your community or passing through who are capable of harming other people, especially those who might be particularly vulnerable.
“I think the community also deserves accountability about how something like this could happen and have a year pass with absolutely no understanding of what happened or who is responsible for the death of this really lovely gentle man who we all very much miss.”
Luskova said she is worried more than one person may have been involved in Levesque’s death and wonders where they are and who else might be at risk.
She said Levesque appeared to be homeless, so other community members may not feel they are in any danger. However, “Jelly was a human being we really loved and a member of the community who deserves protection and justice. Our most vulnerable community members deserve to be safe, whether they are housed or not.
“He’s certainly on our minds every day. We miss him and I hope he gets the justice that he deserves.”