Inquest begins nearly a decade after the sudden death of a Chilliwack man

Parents finally get inquest on son's death Police ruled the death of Corey Scherbey an overdose but his parents say he was murdered. After years of waiting they're eager for answers.

VANCOUVER — It's been nearly a decade since the body of Corey Scherbey was discovered inside his home, but his parents never gave up their fight for answers into his death.

On Monday, a coroner's inquest finally got underway.

In 2011 Scherbey's mother, Gladys, found her 38-year-old son on his knees in front of a sofa, his face buried in the cushion.

She told the court he was surrounded by "a pool of blood 17-and-a-half by seven feet."

After their initial investigation, the RCMP investigators ruled Scherbey died from an accidental overdose. His parents never accepted that finding and believe he was murdered, saying the RCMP failed to do a thorough investigation.

The first witness to give evidence in the inquest was Colin McAlpine. He rented out Scherbey's basement and also worked with him on construction sites.

He told the court that Scherbey "had his demons but he would give you the shirt off his back." He described how Scherbey would regularly use cocaine on weekends and sometimes had prostitutes over to the house.

A cab driver also told the jury he dropped off a woman to the home one night who he believed was a prostitute.

Outside court, Scherbey's parents refuted those claims.

"He was not that kind, that's why I want this inquest to tell the truth about him," Gladys Scherbey said. Her husband, Edward, added, "they discredit him with false allegations from outside in."

Gladys took the stand in the afternoon, telling the jury that after she discovered her son's body, she noticed strange things around his home.

"There was a box. Somebody wrote, 'better be a funeral.' And there was blood splatter on his ceiling, not where his body was found," she said. "On his kitchen counter there were knives missing and I checked the house, they were never recovered."

In court she was asked if the handwriting on the box belonged to her son; she said it didn't.

CTV News reached out to the RCMP to respond to allegations the case was not thoroughly investigated, Mounties say they have nothing further to add, but, "we are mindful that this investigation has previously been the subject of a public complaint."

The inquest was announced by Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth in 2019. It was initially set to get underway in April but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's set to continue for a few days.