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Convicted Murderer Found and in Custody

Apr 16, 2017 | 5:45 AM

A Kelowna man serving a life sentence for strangling a teenage girl to death 16 years ago has been captured and is in custody.

53-year-old Robert Dezwaan was reported missing after an inmate count at the minimum security unit on Friday afternoon.

He was arrested by Fraser Valley RCMP around 11:15am Saturday

Dezwaan was serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 15 years after being convicted of second degree murder.
He was found guilty of strangling 16-year-old Cherish Oppenheim in Merritt, BC in 2001, and leaving her body in a wooded area.
The RCMP says staff are currently reviewing the circumstances of this incident and are focused on assisting the ongoing investigation.

It’s not the first time a convicted murderer has escaped from Mission. In August 2014, federal inmate Norman Gilbert Riel escaped.

In April 2015, Shawn Merrick was discovered unaccounted for during a minimum security prison count.