Cheryl Sheldon, slain on Saturday, sought help for intimate partner abuse, friends say

Friends and neighbours of a London woman who died on Saturday say she was seeking help to get away from the man now charged with second-degree murder in her death. 

Just after 12 a.m. on Saturday, London Police were called to a medical emergency inside an apartment at 345 Wharncliffe Rd. N., near Western Road. Inside they found a woman — later identified as 62-year-old Cheryl Lynn Sheldon — with life-threatening injuries.

She was taken to hospital, where she died of those injuries.  

George Kenneth Curtis, 44, is charged with second-degree murder in her death. Police say the pair knew each other. The charges have not been proven in court. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday. 

Friends and neighbours who spoke to CBC News said Curtis was Sheldon's boyfriend and that he also lived in the apartment. The building is operated by London & Middlesex Community Housing (LMCH). 

Friends describe Sheldon as someone who'd spent most of her life on the streets and who struggled with addiction. They said she had a surly exterior but also showed a kind heart for those who took time to get to know her. 

They also said Sheldon was trying to escape an abusive relationship when she died. 

Emma Worrall first met Sheldon two years ago, when Worrall was working at the Ark Aid Street Mission and Sheldon accessed the shelter's services. 

"I bonded with her, and the friendship just continued even after I finished working at Ark Aid," said Worrall. 

Worrall said Sheldon became a regular at Pizza and Prayers, a weekly Tuesday evening meeting at London's Central Library open to any member of the city's street community.

Three weeks ago, Worrall noticed bruises on Sheldon's body and had a conversation with her about getting help. 

"That was the last conversation I had with her," said Worrall. "She was all bruised up and she told me that he had put hands on her. I told her not to have him [in the apartment] but people in those situations, sometimes they just need that companionship." 

Worrall went to Sheldon's apartment on Sunday after rumours began to circulate about Sheldon's death.. 

"I'm walking in to her apartment building to make sure the rumours aren't true and there's police forensics outside her door," she said. 

Worrall had hoped her friend was headed for a better future last fall. In September Sheldon suffered a broken hip after slipping on the sidewalk. The injury landed her in hospital but it also sped up her application for an apartment at the subsidized building.

"She was finally living off the street," said Worrall, who'd developed an affection for Sheldon's sometimes abrasive demeanour. Worrall helped Sheldon move in to her apartment last fall and would check in on her regularly.

"I called her my sassy other mom," said Worrall. "I'd watched her go from living on the streets, this hardened person, to finally having a home." 

Police response

Police did not call Sheldon's death a domestic homicide, but their media release about the death and charges included a statement about intimate partner violence and femicide that reads, "Intimate partner violence persists as a threat to the safety and wellbeing of our community. Ninety-five municipalities across Ontario, including the City of London, have declared intimate partner violence an epidemic."

Neighbour Louise Phillips who lives at 345 Wharncliffe Rd. N., knew Sheldon well and said news of her death has left residents of the building feeling scared.

"It is a shock for the people who live here," she said. "My deepest condolences to her family because she did not ask for this to happen." 

Phillips confirmed that Curtis and Sheldon were in a relationship and that they both lived in the apartment where Sheldon was found injured. 

"She feared for her safety," said Phillips. "There could have been preventative measures."

LMCH said in a statement that it has a community safety team that conducts regular patrols, and responds to requests for assistance. It also said they have security at the Wharncliffe building and a mobile security supervisor. 

Celebration of life

Stefan Nichol, an ordained pastor with Impact Church who runs the Pizza and Prayers nights, said this week's meeting will become a celebration Cheryl Sheldon's life.

"It's sad, but it's not like she's going to get a normal funeral," said Nichol. "So many of these folks die and nobody knows." 

Nichol knew Sheldon well and confirmed to CBC News that she was struggling in an abusive relationship at the time of her death. 

The celebration of Sheldon's life is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Lawson Room of London's Central Library.