Man charged in stabbing death of woman in South Vancouver

A man has been charged in the stabbing death of a woman in South Vancouver in early April.

Vancouver resident Gertrude Cheong, 49, died after she was found by police lying on the ground near Fraserview Golf Course, early on April 3.

Officers had responded to reports of screams and a person lying on Rosemont Drive around 6 a.m. PT, according to Insp. Mike Rowe, who leads the Vancouver Police Department's major crimes unit.

Eric Lau, a 29-year-old man from Burnaby, B.C., has now been charged with second-degree murder in the case, police said.

"This is a major development in a very public murder that understandably caused fear, anxiety and speculation throughout our community," Rowe told reporters Tuesday.

Vancouver Police Department Insp. Mike Rowe says the fatal stabbing was not a random attack. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Police say the victim and the accused knew each other but did not provide any other details.

"But I can say with certainty that this was not a random attack," Rowe said.

He added that investigators don't believe this stabbing is tied to any other violent incidents in Vancouver.

Lau remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Vancouver on May 6.

Police have identified the victim in the fatal stabbing as 49-year-old Gertrude Cheong. (Ben Nelms/CBC)