Estranged husband charged with wife’s murder in West Kootenays

RCMP have arrested and charged a man with murder following his wife’s death near Trail.

Police responded to a call in Montrose about a man assaulting a woman on the front lawn of a home on Nov. 4, according to a press release from police.

When officers and paramedics arrived they found Lindsay Christine Danchella seriously injured on the front lawn of a home. She was transported to Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital where she died shortly after.

Her estranged husband Donald James Danchella, 46, was arrested at the scene and taken to the RCMP detachment in Trial and lodged in a cell. The same day Crown counsel approved a charge of second-degree murder.

Donald Danchella appeared in court Tuesday, Nov. 5, and is set for a bail hearing in Kelowna, Nov. 6, according to court records.

“The securing of charge approval was the culmination of the tireless efforts involving investigators from the Southeast District Major Crime Unit, BC RCMP Forensic Identification Services, and members of the Trail RCMP,” Staff Sgt. Jason Smart said in the release.