A 71-year-old commissionaire and former member of the Armed Forces has been charged with the first-degree murder of his wife.
As Joseph Melvin Desroches appeared in Victoria provincial court Wednesday, friends remembered his wife, Rosa Maria Desroches, 77, as a petite and quiet lady with a passion for gardening.
“She was a lovely person,” said Ronaele Hahn, who met Rosa more than 20 years ago at the Victoria Cactus and Succulent Society where they were both members. “I just can’t believe what’s happened. It’s shocking, to say the least, just unbelievable.”
Desroches is charged with using a firearm to commit first-degree murder. He was arrested Tuesday at their home at 751 Cameo St. in Saanich.
Officers responding to a 911 call from inside the house at 7:16 a.m. found Rosa Desroches dead in the bedroom. The family dog was also found dead.
Sources told the Times Colonist that police received the 911 call from a man who said he had struggled with mental illness.
During his brief court appearance, Desroches, a man with a trim build, white hair and a moustache, sat quietly in the prisoner’s docket. He agreed to remain in custody at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre until his next court appearance by video on March 26.
Desroches has been employed by the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires for at least 10 years, said John Gabel, director of administration and information services at Commissionaires Victoria. Desroches had a lengthy military career, Gabel said, although he did not know where Desroches had been posted.
The couple was quiet, friendly and went everywhere together, Hahn recalled. “She was always with Mel. Rosa didn’t drive, so Mel drove her everywhere,” said Hahn, who often chatted with Desroches when he dropped off Rosa at meetings for the cactus society.
Rosa Desroches specialized in growing agaves — a succulent plant with rosettes of spiny leaves and tall flower spikes — and had several large ones in her backyard. Her husband built a cover for them to protect them in the winter, Hahn said.
One member posted a photo of Rosa and an agave on the Victoria Cactus Society’s Facebook page. “She was a valuable member of our society,” Hahn said. “She certainly will be missed.”
The two-storey, single-family home remained behind police tape on Wednesday as investigators from the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit and Saanich police collected evidence. Police obtained a search warrant late Tuesday night and searched the home until early Wednesday.
A firearm was recovered from the home.
Neighbours said the couple has lived in the house for at least 16 years. Several neighbours said they would often see Desroches walking the dog and he would smile and say hello. The couple have two adult children, neighbours said.
Saanich police said they have never gone to the home for any domestic disputes or previous violence.
