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UPDATED: Police investigate suspicious death in West Vancouver

Incident at British Properties home leaves one man dead
West Van homicide investigation
West Vancouver Police are investigating a suspicious death in the British Properties.

A 54-year-old man from West Vancouver has been charged in connection to the suspicious death of a 42-year-old man in a British Properties home over the weekend.

Li Zhao, owner of the home at 963 King Georges Way, faces one count of interference with a dead body.

Late Saturday night, Vancouver police received information that a violent confrontation had occurred at Zhao’s home earlier that day, according to Const. Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police Department. West Vancouver officers, with the help of VPD, then immediately secured the area around the home.

Palmer said the accused was arrested early Sunday morning without incident and an investigation into the death of the victim was launched.

“There is a lot of detailed investigation to be done. There is no fixed end time at this point,” Palmer said.

The home, meanwhile, is still taped off for forensic examination. Zhao reportedly cut up the victim’s body, according to court documents obtained by the North Shore News.

Palmer could not provide details about the altercation, saying it’s still unclear what happened. The relationship between the accused and the victim has also not been released, although sources said the two were known to each other.

Neighbours did not play a role in alerting police about the incident, Palmer noted.

Zhao is scheduled to appear in North Vancouver provincial court today at 1:30 p.m. 

Crown counsel Brian MacFarlane said further charges are still being considered.

Note: This story has been modified since first posted.