Man charged in death of his wife has murder charge dropped

Photo: Nicholas Johansen

RCMP investigating a capsized canoe in Okanagan Lake on June 26, 2016.

A Lake Country man who was accused of murdering his wife has had his charge dropped.

Lambertus (Bert) Westervelt was charged with the second-degree murder of his wife Arlene almost three years after she drowned in Okanagan Lake near Okanagan Centre on June 26, 2016.

While police initially said the death was a “tragic accident,” Westervelt, 63 years old at the time, was arrested and charged in April 2019.

Now, 15 months after the charge was laid, the Crown has stayed the charge after receiving “new information.”

“After carefully reviewing new information, Crown counsel determined that the BC Prosecution Service's charge assessment standard was no longer met,” said Crown spokesperson Alisia Adams.

The prosecution service would not elaborate on what new information led to staying of the murder charge. 

Arlene's drowning occurred when her and her husband's canoe capsized on a Sunday evening. While Lambertus Westervelt made it to shore, Arlene did not. Her body was found by divers the following day, about 25 metres from shore.

The couple had been married for about 30 years.