Man, now 33, charged in 2007 homicide of Edmonton senior

Charges have been laid in a homicide that happened in Edmonton 16 years ago, the Edmonton Police Service says.

William Kapach, 65, was assaulted shortly before 5 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2007, in the area of 102A Avenue and 96 Street.

He was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries on Nov. 22.

Edmonton's medical examiner determined he died of blunt cranial trauma, but police were unable to find the man who assaulted him.

In 2021, the EPS Historical Homicide Unit took over the investigation, and through a combination of forensic science and additional witnesses, identified a possible assailant.

Last Thursday, a 33-year-old Edmonton man was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in Kapach's death.

Because the man was 16 years old at the time of Kapach's killing, he can't be identified because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

"These files are never forgotten and never lost. We're always going through old homicides to see if there're investigative avenues, or see if there are other resources that we can throw at it to come to a successful conclusion," Det. Bryan Kincheloe told reporters on Thursday.

Kincheloe says while the suspect is not being named, he is being treated as an adult by investigators.

"Because he was a minor at the time, I can say that it is possible that the judge may take into consideration his age at the time when making decisions. But when we conducted our investigation 16 years after the occurrence, we treat him as the adult he is right now."

Kincheloe confirmed that the suspect is known to police and has a "violent history," adding he and the victim did not know each other.

He says Kapach, who went by Billy, was known in the community as a quiet man who liked to take early morning walks in the downtown area.

"He wanted to be the first to pick up the newspaper of the day."

"I've spoken with the family about him and everything that suggests that he was a very, very nice man just kind of kept to himself. And he had his life taken from him on that day."

Kincheloe hopes the arrest will bring some closure to Kapach's family.

"This family in particular has gone through 16 years of not having questions answered as to why or what happened."

"It was so nice to sit down with them, and hopefully give them a little bit of comfort."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Adel Ahmed.