A man who grew up in Prince George was found dead in a Victoria-area home and a man who grew up in Vanderhoof has been charged with his murder.
The body of Gordon Berg, 53, was found Monday night inside a two-storey house in Langford and Joseph Knelson, 44, has since been charged with the offence, the Victoria Times-Colonist reported Thursday.
According to police, Berg and Knelson were friends but relatives said both had histories of substance abuse.
Teena Alain Laschuk, who lived with Berg in Coquitlam for about eight years until about 1997, when her three children were growing up, told the Times-Colonist he grew up in Prince George and worked as a glazier.
Relatives said Knelson grew up on on a farm near Vanderhoof, 98 kilometres west of Prince George, where he was one of 12 siblings and moved to Vancouver Island more than 10 years ago where he lived in a trailer in Brentwood Bay.
Berg had been living in a basement suite in the home with a woman relatives were not able to identify. She was at home at the time of the killing and fled along with another woman believed to be Shannon Henson, who co-owns the house and lives upstairs, the Times-Colonist reported.
The two are co-operating with investigators police have said.
Police know both the men and the women but are not known for violent incidents. Court records show Knelson does not have a criminal record; Berg had two charges of impaired driving and theft.
Police would not say how or when Berg was killed or reveal what weapon was used.
