A 34-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a fatal stabbing in Fredericton.
Police were called to a home on the city’s south side around 2 a.m. Sunday where they found the victim, 24-year-old Christian Mauric Grueso, critically injured. He died a short time later.
Forensics investigators scoured the scene, taking pictures and searching for evidence while a nasty snowstorm hampered their efforts.
A search and rescue crew was brought in once the forensics team had finished. They used rakes and a metal detector to scour the scene. Searchers told CTV News they were looking for a metal object, but wouldn’t offer details.
As area residents shoveled their driveways, they expressed shock at the incident.
“You just never know what’s going to happen, eh? It’s pretty surprising,” said Chris Cornhill.
“I’ve lived out in this area all my life, 33 years, and never really had anything like that happen,” said Ken Vallis. “So, it’s definitely an eye-opener.”
The investigation led police to another residence, an apartment building in Hanwell, six hours later. The building is located about 10 kilometres from where Grueso was found.
“Through the investigation, with initial officers and initial major crime team officers on scene, they managed to identify a suspect,” said Cpl. Dwight Doyle of the Fredericton Police Force.
Police arrested Kelvin Colburn Constant without incident.
At this time, it’s unclear what prompted the violent attack on Grueso, but the impact of the crime is being felt throughout Fredericton’s Latino community.
Area resident Jorge Dietrich met Grueso, who was born and raised in Colombia, when he first came to Canada while in his teens. Dietrich says Grueso and his family fled the violence in Colombia and spent two years in a refugee camp in Ecuador before settling in Fredericton.
He also says the young man was gifted.
“His knowledge in math, in physics, in programming, I was shocked. I was trying to find him some type of, from our community, sponsorship, because he had such potential,” says Dietrich.
“He took every single step to make everything better for his family,” says Hassan Yussef, a friend of the victim. “He worked hard, from eight to five every single day he comes in to work.”
Marisa Rojas also came to Fredericton from Colombia. She was a friend of Grueso’s and visited with his mother and sister after learning of his death.
“They are devastated in this moment. I hope that his mom will get the strength to keep going in this moment,” says Rojas. “She feels that she’s losing her life.”
In contrast, little is known about the man accused of killing Grueso.
Constant said nothing as he appeared in court Monday morning. He was remanded to custody following his court appearance.
He is due back in court on March 3 to enter a plea.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell
