Police investigate homicide in east end residence

Cousins of the victim Lynn Clairoux and Carmen Pilon hugged each other as they tried to process the news of their cousins passing. Pilon said the victim “was like my little brother, we grew up together.” Photo by Ashley Fraser /PostmediaArticle content

Ottawa homicide detectives are investigating after a man was found fatally wounded early Friday in a residence in the 100 block of Provender Avenue in the city’s east end.

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Police said they were called to the residence just before 6 a.m., where they also found a woman with non-life-threatening injuries.

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The Homicide Unit is investigating, and no arrests have been made. This marks the eighth homicide in Ottawa this year. Photo by Ashley Fraser /PostmediaArticle content

She did not require hospitalization.

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A spokesperson for Ottawa paramedics said they received the call around 6 a.m. and found the man had been assaulted with an “edged weapon” and was pronounced dead on the scene.

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Police have identified the victim as Trevor Howard Needham, 42, of Ottawa.

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At the scene, Carmen Pilon said Needham was her younger cousin, and they had been close while growing up. She said he taught her how to be “one of the boys” and had a heart of gold, but the two had fallen out of touch in recent years due to his struggles with addiction.

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“But I don’t think that defines a person,” she said. “I know he struggled a lot to better himself.”

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Pilon said she’d remember her cousin for his love of poker and pepperoni and cheese pizza, saying “he was a good guy when he was a good guy,” was a father of two daughters and loved his dog.

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“He’s leaving a lot of people behind,” she said. “Children behind, family behind.”

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The Homicide Unit is investigating. This marks the eighth homicide in Ottawa this year. Photo by Ashley Fraser /PostmediaArticle content

Police said Friday evening that Jeremy Joseph Young, 38, of Ottawa, had been charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

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There was a heavy police presence in the area on Friday morning, with homicide detectives canvassing neighbours and police forensic investigators entering a townhouse.

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Ottawa police canvassed the houses along Provender Avenue seeking witnesses. Photo by Ashley Fraser /PostmediaArticle content

Several of the townhouses on Provender Avenue were cordoned off by police tape, and an ambulance was also parked inside the police tape.

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The Homicide unit investigates the scene. Photo by Ashley Fraser /PostmediaArticle content

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Police also cordoned off a section of a nearby cross street across from Thorncliffe Park.

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Police said it was the eighth homicide of the year in Ottawa.

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Ottawa homicide detectives are investigating after a man was found fatally wounded early Friday in the city’s east end. Photo by Ashlee Fraser /PostmediaArticle content

Neighbour Ella Plummer said she didn’t hear anything happen earlier in the morning and only became aware of the homicide when police knocked on her door. A resident of the neighbourhood for several years, she said it was a nice place with a lot of children and families. There are often police around, she said, “but a homicide is crazy.”

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Ella Plummer, a neighbour on Provender Avenue, said she became aware of the homicide when police knocked on her door Friday morning. Photo by Ashley Fraser /PostmediaArticle content

The Homicide Unit is investigating. This was the eighth homicide in Ottawa this year. Photo by Ashley Fraser /PostmediaArticle content

This was also the third homicide in Ottawa in the past week alone. On March 30, police announced Paul Scott Landymore, 63, of Ottawa, had been killed in Chinatown. Renee Descary, 51, was killed on Heney Street shortly after 4:30 p.m. on April 1.

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“While these incidents are not connected, that does not make them any less tragic. Three lives have been senselessly lost, and families, friends, and loved ones are now grieving. Our thoughts are with them during this incredibly difficult time,” police said in a media release on Friday afternoon.