Suspect identified in Waterford Valley homicide investigation

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has a suspect in the death of a man on a west-end St. John's trail in May, but needs more time to process the evidence,according to court documents.

An investigator probing the death of Michael King, 68, hasa date scheduled at provincial court to ask a judge for permission to hold onto evidence in the case.

"It is believed [the suspect] was associated to the items leading up to, and after the murder," Const. Jamie Clearywrote in the application.

The RNC was called to a trail system between the Waterford Hospital and Topsail Road the evening ofMay 30.

King was pronounced dead at the scene, and the chief medical examiner's office later classified his death as a homicide. His manner ofdeathhas not been made public.

In an application made to the court, Clearyasks that five pieces of unspecified evidence be kept in the RNC's possession longer than the initial allowed detention period.

By law, the police must get permission from a judge to hold onto seized evidence if charges haven't been laid within three months.

The pieces of evidence at the centre of the court application are believed to belong to the suspect, a26-year-old man, and were discovered"within a close proximity" to where King's body was found.

Cleary's application said the evidence still needs to be processed at the national forensic crime lab, which will only accept so many pieces of evidence at a time.

"I am aware there are delays with the crime lab due to the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," Cleary wrote, adding it's expected that the investigative team won't have the final results for months.

One item has already been sent to the lab and investigators are waiting for the results.

The RNC is not commenting on the court application or any details surrounding its ongoing investigation.

No charges have been laid yet in relation to King's homicide.

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