A 35-year-old man is expected to appear in provincial court Saturday charged with the Nov. 11 murder of Victoria Head.
The name of the accused, and the exact charge he is facing, will not be released until the court appearance.
The accused, who the RNC says was known to Head, was arrested without incident Friday afternoon outside his home in St. John’s.
RNC Supt. Shawn O’Reilly, officer in charge of the RNC’s criminal investigation division, said substantial investigative resources have been allocated to the investigation, and identifying the person responsible for the homicide has been a top priority for the RNC.
O’Reilly held a news briefing late Friday afternoon.
“Right now we are satisfied that the person responsible is in our custody,” O’Reilly said. “With the information we have right now, we are confident the only person we believe is responsible is in our custody. But I will say the investigation is ongoing and if anybody has any information, we ask that they contact the RNC.”
Head, 36, was originally from Placentia but had been living in St. John’s. Her murder sparked outrage in the community after her body was found near O’Brien’s Farm on Oxen Pond Road in St. John’s. She was last seen in the early hours of Nov. 11 in the area of Queen’s Road in the city.
Police believe Head may have been involved in the sex trade, which they previously said could be connected to her murder.
O’Reilly, however, would not elaborate on that issue. He did say, however, that sex workers are members of the community and, like everyone else, they deserve the protection of the law.
“Sex workers are part of the fabric of our community and, like any persons in our community who are victimized, we will do whatever we can to ensure they receive justice, ensure that the person responsible is brought to justice,” he said.
O’Reilly said the RNC cannot release details of the cause of death or what happened in the hours leading up to Head’s death. He did say the accused does not have a criminal record.
“We established they did know each other. The extent of that relationship, we cannot say,” he said.
O’Reilly said the RNC offers its condolences to the Head family at this difficult time.
Earlier story:
Friday afternoon, the RNC’s Major Crime Unit announced they had arrested a 35 year old St. John’s man for the Nov. 11 murder of 36 year old Victoria Head in St. John’s.
The man has been held to appear before a Provincial Court judge on Saturday. Until criminal charges are sworn to at Provincial Court, the identity of any accused person cannot be released, police said.
"Substantial investigative resources have been allocated to this investigation and identifying the person responsible for this homicide has been a top priority for the RNC. Investigators believe that the accused and Victoria Head were known to one another," a statement from the RNC reads. "As this remains an active investigation, few other details can be released at this time.
The RNC continues to offer its sincerest condolences to the Head family at this very difficult time.
The investigation is ongoing and officers encourage anyone who has any information that could assist the investigators contact the RNC at 729-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Head was living in St. John's but originally from Placentia. Her body was discovered in near O'Brien's Farm in St. John's.
More details to follow.
