Barrie man charged with murder

CTV Barrie: Homicide investigation in Barrie A 52-year-old man is dead, and another has been charged with first-degree murder. Rob Cooper has the latest on the investigation in Barrie.

A 52 year-old Barrie man is dead, and a 51 year-old Barrie man is in police custody tonight.

Police say the victim’s body was found in one of 40 rooms in an apartment building on North Street, near Grove Street, and are now trying to piece together what happened.

At 9:30 p.m. last night, Barrie police were called to a disturbance at the rooming house in the city's north end. The situation involved the victim and the suspect.

“At that time police came here, they left without incident,” says Barrie Const. Melanie Turner. “There was no further action taken. Everything was calm.”

Two hours later, the body of the 52 year-old victim was found inside one of the apartments. At the same time, the 51-year-old male suspect was seen in distress by a two passersby near Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre.

They called police, who came and then took the man into custody.

“At this time, there is a male in custody who has mental health concerns, he's seeking treatment at Royal Victoria hospital,” Turner says.

Late this afternoon, police charged Ernie Bruce Richards with first-degree murder. Investigators say the suspect and victim knew each other. Both lived in the same building.

Residents of the building say only 11 of the 40 units are being rented out. There are two common kitchens that the tenants share. One man says he knew the victim, and he and another tenant are now looking for a new place to live.

“Him and I are moving out,” the man tells CTV News, adding it’s because of the incident. “We're looking for a house right now.”

The building is equipped with video surveillance cameras, but it's not known if they caught the incident. Police say they will be viewing those tapes soon.

People who live across the street say they heard something last night but had no idea what happened.

“Not good,” says neighbour Richard Bauer. “You don't even know who lives here so, that's kind of weird. That's too bad.”

The Barrie police criminal investigation bureau, major crime, and forensic identification unit are all on scene today. Residents are still coming and going from their units but many of them are staying inside, watching from a distance.

A post-mortem on the 52-year-old victim is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 4 in Toronto. Police are continuing to investigate.

Barrie police say there is no concern for public safety.