A North Vancouver woman,
Supreme Court trial of her son-in-law, testified
Friday that the accused told her in a conversation
no one was ever going to take his wife from him.

Charged with murdering his wife with a hammer i is
Roy Lowther, 51.

The witness, Mrs. Virginia

-Tinmuth, said the conversa-

tion took place in her home
about three months before
her daughter Patricia Low-
ther went missing.

The Crown has allegea
that the accused killed
40-year-old Mrs. Lowther, a
- Vancouver poet, sometime

between Sept. 20, 1975 and.

Oct. 13, 1975.

In his opening address to
Justice J. Gould and the
assize jury of nine men and
three women last week (Apr.-
13) Prosecutor John Hall said
both Lowther and his wife
were poets. The Crown

suggested that when Mrs..

Lowther became morye suc-
cessful than the accused,
Lowther became _ jealous,
Hall added. oe

The Crown further alleged
_ that Lowther was motivated
by ill will and animosity by

attacking her with a hammer,

‘killing. her. The woman’s
unclothed body was found

wedged between rocks in
Furry Creek, off the Squam-.
ish Highway, about 2% miles.

south of Britannia Beach. on
Oct. 13, 1975.

MASSIVE BLOWS

The cause of death was
massive blows. to the. skull,
‘consistent | with
blows, according | to
autopsy report.

an

Mrs. Tinmuth, who was
testifying on the fourth day
of - the trial, said the

_ conversation took place while

she was having coffee with
the Lowthers, . and — her
daughter was telling of her
experiences during a work-
ing tour.

The witness quoted Low-
ther as saying that his wife
was reading poetry in all the
best places and meeting well
known. -people in the field,
which was something he had
always wanted to do.

During the meeting, Mrs.
Tinmuth told the court, she
commented that her daught-
er looked tired, and hoped
(innocently) that she, was
having fun during her poetry
engagements.

NO OTHER MAN.

To this, Mrs. Tinmuth
said, Lowther reacted by

slamming his hand against

the table, and vowed that no

other man would ever get his.

wife.

The Crown has produced
evidence that blood spots
were found in a bedroom of
the Lowthers’ ; Vancouver
home. And the jury has
heard that a hammer, usually
kept in the Lowther’shome,
was found in a cabin on

hammer .

Mayne Island, where the
suspect lived after his wife
disappeared. There were
blood stains on the handle,
the court was told.

Witnesses have said when
they inquired about
wife’s absence, Lowther told
them that she had left him
and their two daughters and
had gone back east. _

When one of Mrs. Low-
ther’s daughters by a pre-
vious marriage, Catherine
Domphousse, _
anxious about her absence
she contacted the police.

PARENT DIVORCED

Domphousse, who testi-
fied at the start of the trial,
said her parents were divor-
ced when she was a child,

and. her mother martfied ©
Lowther.
She said although — her

mother frequently miade trips.
_to Eastern Canada, she did

not mention that she was
planning a trip when Domp-

housse visited her Sept. 23.

When she returned to her
mother’s home on. Sept. 27,
she saw Lowther coming out

of his car: When she asked if ©
her mother was at home, she.
testified that Lowther replied

that she had. gone back east.

After she reported her
mother missing, the girl said
she returned to’ the house
with her uncle for a
photograph to give to police.
When she went into the
bedroom her uncle lifted the
mattress, and saw a white
cotton sheet taped to the

_ underside of the mattress.

SAW BLOOD

The daughter said she
peeled it off, and saw a spot
which resembled blood, she

‘told the jury. —

”

in the B.C.

his .

20, became

“Rowsome, -in
allegedly ‘was travelling too a
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B.C.,

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CONSTRUCTION WORK on $3 million expansion of West Vancouver Library has reached the stage where the library

has to close down for a three-week period from the end of April. See story page 5 [Ellsworth Dickson photo].

A 16-year-old youth, David
Gordon Fuessel, of Albion,
B.C. was listed in fair
condition in Lions Gate
Hospital Tuesday after a
head on collision on Cypress
Bowl Road about 8:30 p.m.
Saturday.

~ Fuessel, ‘who was driving a
‘63 Chev south bound on
Cypress Bowl, was struck by -

a northbound car driven by

Mark Stuart Rowsome, 20, of |
410 Mulgrove Place, West
Vancouver, according to
police reports.

~ A police: spokesman said
“76. Ford,

Mile .1.2, crossed the centre
line and struck Fuessel’s car.
Fuessel’s. passenger, Bar-
bara Perera, 16, of Ruskin
suffered facial cuts.

Cst. Joseph Mikita, a
police identification squad,
submitted photographs as
part of his testimony, which
indicated the interior of the

more than 100 bloodstains
were found in the bedroom.
The spots were circled with
chalk to assist the jurors in -
reviewing the evidence.

The trial continues.

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Injured also was Row-
some, who received facial
lacerations and head inuries.
His condition was listed as
satisfactory Tuesday, | accor-
_ ding to LGH.

"3a8 2 mee 2

WOSK 3S PARKING ior

Damaage “to. Rowsome’s
car has been set at $5,000,
and to Fuessel’s, $1,000.
Both vehicles ended up in a.
ditch, the Spokesman added.

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