Charge laid in Drake murder

By Scott NeufeldThursday, March 1, 2007 http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_998.php

A local family is feeling vindicated after a man they believed had killed their father, was charged with murder.The Vernon RCMP announced at a Wednesday news conference that Eric Fish has been charged with the first degree murder of Jeffrey Drake, a 25-year Vernon resident.“I’ve gotta tell you, now the healing can begin,” said Jeffrey’s son Jerry of Kelowna.Jerry learned about the charge late Tuesday and told the Vernon Daily Courier that the news has brought him and his family some relief.Fish has only been charged with the murder, and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.“The trial will be difficult because of some of the things it will drag up,” Drake said.Cpl. Henry Proce of the Vernon RCMP said a 20- member task force has been investigating seven murders in Vernon and Fish was one of their suspects.“(Fish) has been a suspect for some time; it took Crown counsel this long to feel they had enough evidence to lay a charge,”

Proce said.Fish already faces one murder charge in the death of Bill Abramenko, 75, of Vernon. That trial is scheduled to begin in January 2008. According to the RCMP, they were notified on June 22, 2004 that Fish had disappeared from the Howard House where he was serving his parole. Police did not locate Fish until Aug. 6, when they arrested him and charged him with Abramenko’s murder. At the time he was not considered a danger to the public, police said.Jeffrey’s decomposed body was found in the Adventure Bay area southwest of Vernon in August 2004.

Jerry was able to search his father’s car where he found evidence that two people were likely involved in his father’s death. He said he has believed Fish was responsible for a long time.Proce said there is no link between the murders other than the fact Fish is suspected in both cases. “Mr. Fish and Mr. Drake were involved with each other,” he said. “There is absolutely no connection whatsoever between the Abramenko murder and the Drake murder.”Police did reveal that a second person was involved in Jeffrey’s death but wouldn’t reveal any other information. Proce said only the second person was “not a danger to the public” and declined to comment on whether the individual was currently in jail or deceased. After lodging three unsuccessful complaints against the RCMP for an alleged failure to protect the public, Drake said he plans to continue his pursuit of a public inquiry.