Osoyoos man charged with manslaughter in alleged domestic violence incident

UPDATE — Sept. 5, 2022: Roderick Flavell was acquitted of manslaughter on July 29, 2022, after a weeks-long trial in B.C. Supreme Court. In his decision, Justice David Crossin found there was not enough evidence to convict Flavell beyond a reasonable doubt.

ORIGINAL STORY:

An Osoyoos, B.C., man has been charged with one count of manslaughter in connection with the death of a woman in her early 60s in an alleged case of domestic violence.

Roderick Flavell was arrested after RCMP officers responded to an incident at a home in Osoyoos late in the evening on April 8.

Neighbour Cheryl Das said several police cruisers and an ambulance came rushing to the home across the street from her, where Flavell lived with Tina Seminara.

"I heard the police officer who ran to the back of the house yell to the officers in the front, 'she's back here and she's barely breathing,'" said Das.

Flavell was originally charged with one count of aggravated assault. However, the RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service said Seminara died of her injuries late last week.

Flavell has since been charged with one count of manslaughter, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.

'Full of life and so much fun'

News of the incident has surprised and saddened people in Osoyoos, according to Das, who said Flavell and Seminara appeared to be a happy couple.

"They just fit right in and this has just really come as such a shock from many angles," she said.

"Anyone I talk to is just like, 'he seemed like such a nice man and he was so quiet.' And she was just full of life and so much fun.'"

The B.C. Coroners service said Seminara was in her early 60s.

Das said she was a yoga teacher in Osoyoos and had lived in the house across the street from her with Flavell for less than a year. 

"It is just such a strange tragic thing and our whole town is confused," she said.

Flavell remains in custody and has a court appearance scheduled for June 11 on the manslaughter charge.