Suspect identified in Waterford Valley homicide investigation

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has a suspect in the death of a man on a trail west of St. John's in May, but needs more time to process evidence, according to court documents.

An investigator looking into the death of Michael King, 68, has gone to provincial court to ask a judge for permission to preserve evidence in the case.

“It is believed that (the suspect) was associated with the items leading up to and following the murder,” said Const. » Jamie Cleary wrote in the application.

The RNC was called to a trail system between Waterford Hospital and Topsail Road on the evening of May 30.

King was pronounced dead at the scene, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later pronounced him dead. ruled his death a homicide. The circumstances of his death have not been made public.

In a motion filed with the court, Cleary requests that five unspecified pieces of evidence be kept in the RNC's possession longer than the originally authorized detention period.

By law, police must obtain permission from a judge to keep seized evidence if charges have not been filed within three months.

The evidence at the center of the court application allegedly belonged to the suspect, a 26-year-old man, and was discovered “in close proximity” to where King's body was found.

Cleary's request says the evidence still needs to be processed at the state forensic laboratory, which will only accept a limited number of pieces of evidence at a time.

“I am aware that there are delays at the crime lab due to the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cleary wrote, adding that the investigative team is not expected to have final results before months.

An item has already been sent to the laboratory and investigators are awaiting the results.

The RNC is not commenting on the court request or any details surrounding its ongoing investigation.

No charges have yet been filed in King's homicide.

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