A former Prince George man with a shady history is the key suspect in the stabbing death of a 20-year-old man in Victoria, according to two B.C. media outlets.
The Victoria Times-Colonist and Vancouver Sun have reported Joshua Tyler Bredo aka Joshua Baba aka Josh Chartier aka Josh Mitchell, 26, is the key suspect in the death of Daniel Jordan Levesque, 20, of Saanich. The newspapers did not cite the source of their information.
The Victoria Police Department confirmed they have a 26-year-old man in custody regarding the case, but had not laid charges as of press time. Police report the suspect is expected to appear in court on Aug. 18.
Police were called to an apartment in the 700-block of Cormorant Street in Victoria on Wednesday shortly after 5 p.m. There, police found Levesque and the suspect both suffering from stab wounds.
Levesque was in critical condition and died at Victoria General Hospital. The suspect was treated at the hospital for serious injuries and released into police custody Wednesday night.
Calls to Bredo's family in Prince George were not returned as of press time. However, one family member, who agreed to speak anonymously, said Bredo has been estranged from his family for years.
The family member described Bredo as a "psycho sociopath," and alleged Bredo had previous trouble with the law.
Soldier's family hurt
In Prince George, Bredo is best known for his involvement with the family of fallen soldier Cpl. Matthew McCully.
Bredo, then using the name Baba, pledged $10,000 of his own money to start the Matthew McCully Foundation in October, 2007.
In August, 2008 the McCullys came forward to say Bredo left them with surprise bills of about $2,300 they had to pay for themselves after a theatre performance was held and a gala dinner was planned then canceled with only days notice.
"Things happened, all in the name of our foundation, that muddied the name of a Canadian hero, my son, who gave his life in service for our country," Ron McCully told the Citizen in 2008. "We feel embarrassed, ashamed, and we don't know what to do to get back on track."
One of the chief concerns of the McCully family was the belief they had been given by Bredo, who was leading the arrangements for the gala dinner, that the guest of honour was going to be then-Governor General Michalle Jean. They were alerted by the RCMP that no security orders, which would always accompany a visit by the governor general, had been made for the visit.
Bredo told The Citizen at the time that he would be happy to help tie up any loose ends back in Prince George, like the alleged bills.
"I have been made aware of that as well, and steps are being taken to look into that and rectify those situations," he said. "I am still gathering information myself and if there were communication errors, or errors at all, they will be recognized and taken care of immediately."
The McCully's came forward after seeing Bredo on television in Calgary promising to pledge $10,000 to launch an anti-crime initiative called Stand Up Calgary.
The movement was an echo of the unsuccessful Stand Up Prince George movement which Bredo attempted to launch in August, 2007. Bredo said the goal to was to take action and show civic leadership on issues like crime and
poverty in the city.
Political animal
Bredo first appeared in the press in October 2001 as the local spokesperson for the local Young Liberals of Canada. Bredo, then 16, was attending College Heights secondary school.
In June, 2004 Bredo worked as a campaign employee for Conservative MP Dick Harris. Later that year Bredo and others raised allegations that Harris had engaged in improprieties during the party's candidate selection process, including an alleged scheme to procure federal government money for bogus service contracts.
RCMP investigated the allegations and cleared Harris of wrongdoing.
In June, 2009 Calgary mayoral candidate George Dadamo pulled his name from the running after the Calgary Herald revealed Bredo's past. Dadamo, a former Ontario New Democrat, had hired as Bredo as his executive assistant.
In August, 2010 The Cranbrook Daily Townsman reported Bredo, using the name Josh Chartier, had surfaced there working for federal Conservative nominee David Wilks.
Wilks said he hired Bredo to work on his campaign briefly, but was left holding the bill for signs, pictures and a website he didn't realize Bredo had created.
Earlier that month, the City of Cranbrook had issued a press release stating the city had no affiliation with a pair of events Bredo was promoting in the city.
"Be it known, the corporation of the City of Cranbrook, Mayor Scott Manjak, members of council and city administration have no affiliation with this individual in any way and have provided no endorsement (implied or otherwise) for his business activities and solicitation," the statement said.
Bredo has operated several businesses including Pacific Media Group and Baba Media Communications.
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