Richmond, B.C. man charged with second-degree murder of intimate partner

CBC

3 days ago

A B.C. man has been charged with killing his partner in what an advocate calls a tragic example of the escalating crisis of gender-based violence in B.C.
Thirty-three-year-old Richmond man, George Dragnea, was charged Saturday for second-degree murder in the death of a 51-year-old woman, according to a press release from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
The incident comes about two weeks after James Plover was charged with the second-degree murder of Bailey Plover after a public attack in Kelowna, B.C.
Richmond RCMP says officers responded to a report on Friday of a woman "suffering from serious injuries" in the 8600 block of Capstan Way — an area with numerous apartment buildings and a shopping centre.
The woman was pronounced deceased in hospital.
The allegation against the man has not been proven in court.
IHIT called it "an isolated incident," adding that because it's only alleged to have involved "the accused and the deceased who were in a relationship ... there is no ongoing risk to the public."
But an advocacy group focused on eliminating violence against women and girls says it was not an isolated incident.
"The way that the system frames this kind of violence — they frame it as private, random, and not something that's preventable," said Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women's Support Services (BWSS).
"But we know that this is not the case, that it is public, it's not random, and it's absolutely preventable."
'This is a spike'
MacDougall said five women have been killed, and three seriously injured, in B.C. since the end of June, all as a result of alleged intimate partner violence.
"This is quite concerning, because this is a spike," she said.
MacDougall cited a recent independent report, commissioned by the province, about how B.C.'s legal system treats sexual and intimate partner violence. The June 2025 report, by lawyer Kim Stanton, shows that nearly half of B.C. women (48 per cent) have experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 15.
"That means it's a public safety emergency," MacDougall said.
MacDougall wants to see the provincial and federal governments, as well as municipal councils, acknowledge the severity of the situation and engage in prevention. They can start, she said, by launching a task force on intimate partner violence and gender-based violence.
"We want to engage all those levels to recognize that … there's citizens in their communities right now that are living in fear, that aren't safe and that they need to know what the services are that are available."
She highlighted BWSS's five-part prevention strategy that includes age-appropriate and inclusive education to teach youth about respectful relationships; mandatory, standardized risk assessments in criminal and family law; and public education campaigns to promote survivor rights.
"All citizens in the province of British Columbia that are living right now with fear, and where lethal violence is imminent, they need to know that their province cares about them."
Accountability
As part of Stanton's report on intimate partner violence, she made multiple recommendations to the province, including declaring gender-based violence a provincial epidemic and appointing a commissioner to oversee the province's progress.
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said after the report's release that that the government would "immediately" look into what can be done to improve how the legal system treats survivors.
The province committed to investing in culturally safe victim services, to improve training within institutions, and also work on proposed changes to the family law act "including components specifically focused on intimate partner and family violence," she said.
However, Stanton's report warned that recommendations made in the past weren't acted on and said there's still a lack of accountability, due in part to the fact that many of the province's existing services for addressing intimate partner violence are siloed in separate ministries.
"[There is] no identified leader with the authority to ensure that what needs to be done gets done. This means that while everyone works in their own lane, no one has their eye on the bigger picture to evaluate and monitor..."