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RCMP charge man in 15-year-old murders of mother and son in New Brunswick – Metro US

RCMP charge man in 15-year-old murders of mother and son in New Brunswick

SACKVILLE, N.B. – Larry Mills shook and his voice trembled with emotion as he talked Tuesday about his son and ex-wife who were strangled in 1995 in southeastern New Brunswick.

Almost 15 years after the double killings shocked this rural corner of the province, the RCMP charged Raymond Joseph White with two counts of first-degree murder.

Over the years, Mills had been critical of police for the pace of their investigation, going so far as to lay a complaint with the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.

But Tuesday, he thanked the force for finally bringing charges.

“I know I have been frustrated over the years wanting to see action, and I know there are procedures that have to be followed, but it has not made it easier for me as I waited for this day to come,” Mills said as he wiped tears from his eyes at a news conference called by the Mounties to announce the charges.

“There has not been a day go by that I don’t think of my son and Mary.”

The bodies of Mary Lou Barnes, 37, and her 12-year-old son Larry Mills Jr. were found by a relative in their mobile home in British Settlement, near Sackville, on Nov. 6, 1995. Both bodies were found on a bed.

In 2000, police said they had a person of interest in the case. But RCMP Sgt. Paul Ouellette said they weren’t able to lay charges until new information was received a few weeks ago.

He wouldn’t give details or speculate on a motive for the killings, but he said White was always a suspect.

“We had suspicions on him right from the start,” Ouellette said. “However, you have to have sufficient evidence to lay a charge. We were never in that position to do so.

“Mr. White did reside in the area, not far from where the incident happened, and he was known to Mary Lou Barnes. But there was no relationship that we’re aware of as investigators.”

Mills said the past 15 years have been agonizing.

“Nothing can bring Mary and Larry back, but seeing someone finally held accountable does give me some relief,” Mills said.

No date has been set for White to appear in court on the charges in New Brunswick.

White, now 63, is serving prison time in British Columbia for three armed robberies in Nova Scotia. He was recently transferred to West Coast to be closer to family.

Ouellette said police are dealing with Corrections Canada and hope to have White transported to New Brunswick to appear in court no later than the end of May.

The double murder shook the tiny community of about 30 families.

Diane Chapman-Allen, the sister of Larry Jr.’s grandmother, said there was a feeling of “horror and terror” throughout the area.

Mills said it will be a long time before he ever finds peace, admitting he cries every time he hears of a child being killed.

“Larry was just the best boy you could ever want,” he said. “He smiled every day. He was cheerful. He had a ton of friends.

“His Mom said many times that he idolized me, but he was my idol. He was my life.”