A man known to the police and courts is facing a charge of second-degree murder in the 2013 death of a Nadleh woman.
In announcing his arrest Friday, RCMP said Garrett Steven George, 26, and Destiny Rae Tom, 21, were known to each other. Tom's badly-beaten body was found outside a home on the Nadleh reserve near Fort Fraser, during the early morning of Sat., March 23, 2013.
A man known to Tom was subsequently arrested but later released without charges and, about three weeks after the incident, her family issued an emotional plea for the public's help to track down her killer.
The mother of a three-year-old girl, Tom was described as "beautiful, caring, and loving person."
"Destiny loved life, loved people and had many family and friends that loved her," Vivian Tom said of her youngest daughter. "Her life was tragically taken far too soon. "
B.C. RCMP major crime unit operations officer Supt. Brendan Fitzpatrick said George's arrest "comes as a result of a thorough investigation by North District major crime investigators who were determined to find out what happened to Destiny. It was important for us to gather the necessary evidence to ensure the charges moved before the courts.”
With the matter now before the court, RCMP said no further information will be released.
George has a criminal record that includes convictions for assault, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm in Prince George and Burns Lake.
