A man charged in deaths of adult male, female
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Crime scene tape surrounds a home on 3rd Avenue West in Hanna Thursday March 8, 2012 following a double murder in the town. |
CALGARY - A 24-year-old man has been charged with first and second-degree murder in the double homicide in Hanna.
RCMP announced on Friday morning that Curtis Everett Rideout, 24, has been charged in the deaths of an adult male and female.
The deceased man is believed to be his father Bruce Rideout.
The identity of the victims have not been officially released.
Early Thursday morning, officers were called to a home in the town east of Drumheller and found a man who said he had killed two people.
RCMP then went to another house a few blocks away in the 300 block of 3rd Avenue W. where they discovered a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s, both dead.
Curtis Rideout was previously unknown to police.
Officials have not said how the couple died, only saying it was not a random event.
Geri Seely, Curtis’s mother, said she was at a loss to explain what happened.
“It’s really puzzling to us. We’re still waiting to hear what’s going on,” said Seely.
“All we know is it was an accident that happened and we’re not sure what the details are.”
She heard the news from Curtis’s girlfriend.
On Curtis’s Facebook page were numerous pictures of him posing with guns.
The page, which has since been removed, also makes several references to suicidal thoughts, apparently made by the suspect.
“IF I WAS GONE WHO WOULD MISS ME?” is posted as Curtis’s status update on Feb. 19. A woman, who is identified on the page as his mother, replied: “i would.”
Another posting the same day reads: “Jesus don’t want me. I’m serious, I will be gone soon see u all in hell. Not my mommy tho. Xoxoxoxo to my mom.”
Several of his Facebook friends made offers to help.
Bruce worked as a contractor doing roofing and carpet work, said his neighbour, Gladys Martin.
“He was a fun-loving Newfoundlander,” Martin said, adding she had seen his son once or twice and his presence made her nervous.
“I’ve seen him shooting at a marten house, a bird house, and I was worried about my cats,” Martin said.
Recently he had shown an interest in guitars and music, Martin said.
“I was happy for the kid, something other than guns.”
The house was the scene of a lot of parties and bonfires “with flames up to 12 feet high,” she said, adding that it worried her.
Another neighbour, Larry Rose, agreed that the residence was “a party house,” but said he didn’t know the residents well.
“This is very shocking. This just doesn’t happen in a town like this,” Rosee said.
For much of the day, police cruisers were parked outside the small, green-trim home surrounded with yellow police tape. Road blocks barricaded the streets and back alleys leading to the home.
RCMP major crimes, forensic investigators and members from neighbouring detachments are involved in the investigation. An RCMP helicopter circled the scene for a large part of Thursday afternoon.
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