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
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