A Saint John man has been charged in the death of his wife after her body was found on the weekend.
Officers were called to investigate a suspicious death at a residence on Carmarthen Street on Sunday.
Police say 43-year-old Cynthia Irving was not breathing and was unresponsive when officers arrived on scene. They confirm she was the victim of a homicide.
“At this point in time, an autopsy is being performed at the Saint John Regional Hospital,” says Saint John Police Sgt. Jay Henderson.
“We haven’t gotten the results back. We are assuming the results should be in shortly.”
Police are remaining tightlipped about the circumstances surround Cynthia Irving’s death but confirm her husband, 53-year-old Joseph Paul Irving, has been charged with second-degree murder.
He made a brief court appearance Monday and has been ordered to undergo an assessment to determine whether he was criminally responsible.
The couple’s home is located in a quiet south-end neighbourhood and area residents are expressing shock over the incident.
“Very surprised because it’s very quiet down here, we don’t even hear cars blowing their horns,” says Marcel Doucet, who runs an antique shop just up the street from the Irvings.
“For something like this to happen, of course it will come out in the news later on and we’ll look forward to hearing it.”
Police were back at the Carmarthen Street home Monday as officers canvassed the neighbourhood.
“Right now we have officers, as well as our major crime unit, and they are processing the scene,” says Henderson. “We anticipate we’ll be holding that scene for today and probably most of the day tomorrow.”
Joseph Irving is due back in court on April 14.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ashley Dunbar
