Fire Victim In Chase, B.C., Was Charged In 2008 With Killing Husband

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A woman who died in a mobile-home fire in Chase, B.C., last week was the victim in a domestic-dispute case in 2007 and charged with killing her husband less than a year later.

Fifty-three-year-old Sherry Leah Skjeie was found dead on Jan. 16 in the fire, which destroyed her unit in the Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park.

The B.C. Coroners Service said the fire is not considered to be suspicious but the investigation is continuing.

Sherry’s husband, Douglas Skjeie, received an 18-month conditional sentence in May 2007 in lieu of jail time after allegedly shooting at his wife with a .22-calibre rifle during a drunken rage.

Sherry told police her husband of 26 years had shot at her following an explosive argument, and she managed to dodge the bullet storm by running down the corridor and diving into the couple's bathroom.

Eight months later, in January 2008, Douglas was found stabbed to death at their home and Sherry was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

At the time of his death, the 47-year-old Douglas was under a court order to not contact his wife, stemming from an incident the year before.