Allegations of murder, sexual assault, and arson in death of Keswick senior
More than one year after the body of a Keswick senior was discovered in her home following a fire, the man accused of causing her death appeared in court.
Bradley Strickler, 22, of Georgina, Ont., appeared virtually in court in Newmarket, Ont., on Mon., Jan. 23, 2022, accused of causing the death of a senior last year in Keswick. (Court sketch)
Police charged Bradley Strickler with first-degree murder, sexual assault, and arson with disregard for human life more than nine months after officials found 85-year-old Sandy Gauthier dead inside her Miami Drive home on Jan. 15, 2022.
According to York Regional Police, an autopsy revealed Gauthier's death was a homicide.
The exact cause of Gauthier's death has not been released.
Neighbours said Gauthier, a mother of five, grandmother of 12 and great-grandmother of nine, lived in the home with her husband for years until his passing.
Strickler was arrested after police released surveillance video showing a man near the woman's home a few hours before the fire broke out.
York Regional Police released video of a possible witness to a deadly fire in Keswick on Jan. 15, 2022. (Supplied)
The 22-year-old accused will remain behind bars in a Lindsay jail awaiting the preliminary hearings scheduled for this summer in July.
The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.