Dec 17th - Richmond News

'Sweetheart' charged in old murder case

Elderly woman in custody

Nelson Bennett, Richmond News; with files from Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A Richmond senior citizen described by neighbours as an "absolute sweetheart of a lady" has been charged with a murder that went unsolved for 16 years.

Jean Ann James, 69, was arrested Friday at her home on Bridge Street. She made a brief court appearance Monday and remains in custody.

She is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Gladys Wakabayashi in Vancouver.

The 41-year-old daughter of a Taiwanese billionaire was found stabbed to death on June 24, 1992 in her Shaughnessy home, which she shared with her 12-year-old daughter.

A land title search shows that James and her husband, Derek, an air traffic controller, own a home on Bridge Street. They have been the registered owners since 1987.

James' neighbours expressed shock and incredulity when told their neighbour had been charged with murder.

"My God, I would find that impossible to believe," one neighbour told the News. "I've known her for 10 years. She's an absolute sweetheart of a lady. She's honestly one of the best neighbours I've had."

Another neighbour said Jean and Derek James were animal lovers. Their home is festooned with Christmas displays, plants and bird feeders.

"She's a really neat lady," one neighbour said. " She's really socially aware. Very generous. From what I know of her, she's an outstanding citizen."

James' social awareness included opposing a residential development on No. 4 Road in 2003. James wrote a letter to the editor and had made petitions to city council opposing the development.

Wakabayashi's body was discovered by her estranged husband, Shinji Wakabayashi, according to the Province newspaper.

Reached by phone at their home in Vancouver, Wakabayashi's wife said her husband did not wish to comment. However, she confirmed that her husband and Gladys Wakabayashi had been living apart when Gladys Wakabayashi was killed.

Staff Sgt. Bruce Hulan of the Provincial Unsolved Homicide Unit said James had been interviewed during the initial investigation. "During that period there was insufficient evidence to lay a charge," Hulan said.

Hulan's unit received the cold case file two years ago, and all the old evidence was reviewed.

"We did some further testing of exhibits -- DNA testing that wasn't available back in 1992 when this offence occurred," Hulan said. "We have new evidence that led us to be able to recommend charges. What that evidence is I'm not at liberty to discuss."

According to press coverage at the time of the murder, Gladys Wakabayashi was allegedly having an affair with a married man whose wife learned about it days before the murder. James is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 18.

© Richmond News 2008

December 14th - The Province

Woman, 69, arrested in 16-year old murder of another woman


By Ian Austin — Staff ReporterDecember 14, 2008



An elderly Richmond woman is in custody and charged with first-degree murder in a case that eluded investigators for 16 years.

Jean Ann James, 69, was arrested Friday in the 1992 stabbing death of her friend, Gladys Wakabayashi.

Police said James will appear in court in Vancouver this week.

She has no criminal record but had been a person of interest in the case.

Wakabayashi, a wealthy 41-year-old Taiwanese woman, was found dead in June 1992 in the Shaughnessy home where she lived with her 12-year-old daughter.

Shortly after Wakabayashi’s death, Vancouver police Det. Murn MacLennan told The Province that the murder “was really hard to understand. Everyone we talked to said she was well-liked, kind and a compassionate lady.”

Wakabayashi came to Canada in 1976 to study piano — but she was not just another foreign student.

She was the third child of Taiwanese billionaire Y. S. Miao, chairman of Union Petrochemical Corp. and the giant Lien Hwa Industrial Corp., both of Taiwan.

Wakabayashi’s body was discovered by her estranged, Japanese-born husband, Shinji Wakabayashi.

He ran next door to her brother’s house and called police.

Police, looking for a murderer and a motive, soon discovered that the quiet, conservative woman had a secret life — and a secret lover.

The lover was a married man, and his wife learned of his affair with Wakabayashi days before the murder.

About one month after the murder, Det. Barry Peters told The Province:

“We’re hoping to close this case fairly soon.”

Sixteen years later, the police case is closed, and the court case begins.

iaustin@theprovince.com

December 15th - Richmond Review

Richmond Review

WEB UPDATE: Senior's murder arrest shocks neighbours

Jean Ann James, 69, who lives in this house with her husband Derek, was arrested Friday for first-degree murder in what police suspect was a love triangle that claimed the life of a Vancouver woman who was the daughter of a Taiwanese billionaire.

Martin van den Hemel photo

By Martin van den Hemel - Richmond Review

Published: December 15, 2008 1:00 PM
Updated: December 17, 2008 10:11 AM

"That's absolutely absurd," one resident of a quiet residential area said at hearing the news that his neighbour Jean Ann James, 69, has been charged with first-degree murder.

"I'm stunned," said another. "It's overwhelming...but you don't really know somebody deep inside..."

"This is the biggest shock that I ever had," said a nearby resident, who entrusted James to watch over her house when she went out of town.

Described as an affable, animal-loving neighbour who along with her husband Derek invited friends and neighbours over for summer and Christmas parties, Jean James was arrested Friday following a multi-year investigation into the murder of James' friend, Gladys Wakabayashi, in 1992.

Wakabayashi, the 41-year-old daughter of a Taiwanese billionaire—he passed away a few years ago—was found stabbed to death in her upscale Vancouver home by her husband.

RCMP Const. Annie Linteau said James was a person of interest initially in the investigation.

But the case remained quiet for 16 years before news came of Friday's arrest. James is scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court on Thursday (Dec. 18) and remains in custody.

Investigators reportedly learned that Wakabayashi was having an affair with a married man, and that this man's wife learned of the affair a short time before the murder.

James was a long-time employee of Canadian Pacific Airlines, where she worked as a member of the executive for the Flight Attendants Union.

James and her husband, Derek, an air traffic controller, live in an unassuming two-storey cedar-roofed house on a half-acre property in the heart of Richmond. They have a son, who is in his late 20s.

According to neighbours, James loves to garden, and the couple adored animals, putting out seed for birds and other wildlife.

A sign hanging in the window alongside their front door depicts a cartoon with a Rottweiler catching a thief during a break-in, and wearing a t-shirt labelled "Surprise Surprise."

But it was neighbours who were surprised Monday morning by the news of James' arrest.

James was described as an easy-going, genuinely nice person who enjoyed sharing a laugh and spent a lot of time in her garden and assembling flower baskets

"They've been married for a long time," one neighbour said, referring to James and her husband Derek.

James enjoyed keeping an eye on her neighbourhood and wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

She voiced her objections at city hall in 2003 to a proposed development in her South McLennan neighbourhood.

When that residential project went ahead, she put up trees on the edges of her property, seeking privacy.

Linteau said only recently were police able to proceed further in the investigation, which eventually led to the charge being laid.

If convicted, James is facing a mandatory life sentence.

Friday Dec 13 - Edmonton Sun

Charges laid 16 years after slaying

by The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — Vancouver police and the provincial unsolved homicide unit have made an arrest in a cold case that dates back more than 16 years.

Sixty-nine-year-old Jean Ann James, of Richmond, is facing a charge of first-degree murder in the 1992 slaying of Gladys Wakabayashi and will appear in court next week.

Wakabayashi was 41 when she was stabbed to death.

Her body was found by her husband in her Vancouver home on June 24, 1992.

Vancouver police and the unsolved homicide unit have been investigating the murder for several years.

RCMP Const. Annie Linteau says police were able to lay the charge as a result of new evidence.

CTV British Columbia - DECEMBER 13th 2008

B.C. police make arrest in cold case murder

Updated: Sat Dec. 13 2008 13:22:57

ctvbc.ca

It's been more than 16 years, but police and the provincial unsolved homicide unit have made an arrest in the fatal stabbing of a Vancouver woman.

Jean Ann James, 69, of Richmond, faces a charge of first-degree murder in the 1992 slaying of her friend Gladys Wakabayashi.

Wakabayashi was 41 when she was stabbed to death.

Her body was found by her husband in her Vancouver home on June 24, 1992.

Vancouver police and the unsolved homicide unit have been investigating the murder for several years.

RCMP Const. Annie Linteau says police were able to lay the charge as a result of new evidence.

"These investigations do last for a long time but as police officers we certainly never give up," said Linteau. "It has been a long time but the police officers have been working continually on this and have a dedicated team of investigators."

James will face first degree murder charges in Vancouver next week. Police say she has no prior criminal record.

With files from The Canadian Press