PENTICTON, B.C. — Family and friends of a murdered mother have rallied outside a British Columbia courthouse, in a bid to draw attention to the violent deaths of aboriginal women.
RCMP found the body of Roxanne Louie on Jan. 12, about one week after the mother of a three-year-old boy didn't show up for a flight from Penticton, B.C., to Vancouver and was reported missing.
Charged with second-degree murder is 65-year-old Grace Robotti, the grandmother of Louie’s ex-partner and great-grandmother of the young boy.
Robotti's brother Pier Robotti was charged with being an accessory after the fact and performing an indignity to a dead human body.
Both accused appeared briefly in court via video Wednesday and are scheduled to return Monday.
Penticton Indian Band councillor Joseph Pierre was one of those who attended the rally and says it was organized to support the victim's family and focused on the broader issue surrounding violent deaths of aboriginal women.
"This is really a Canadian issue that we need to be looking at and making sure that everyone in Canada is aware that these instances are happening," he says.
"We are here to show we are not a silent people and we are here to show support for every murdered person in the country. It’s very sad that we have one here in our own nation, within our own communities."
