Neighbours of slain St. Boniface woman relieved they didn't open door to suspect
Police still not releasing victim's name
Helen Gregorchuk fights back emotion as she talks about the stabbing death of her neighbour last weekend.
"Unbelievable, just unbelievable," she said, shaking her head.
- Melissa Gabriel, accused in death of elderly St. Boniface woman, has extensive criminal record
- Winnipeg police charge Melissa Gabriel, 35, with manslaughter
Gregorchuk lives across the street from the house where an 89-year-old woman's body was found around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
Winnipeg police are not releasing the victim's name until her family is notified.
"If I don't see her, I phone her. We knew when she went to bed and when she got up. 'Cause her lights are always on.
She said, 'You're quite observant with your neighbours.' I said, 'Well, that's what neighbours are for.'"
Gregorchuk said the older woman, who had lived in the house for 15 years, was a pleasure to get along with and enjoyed the simple things in life.
"Anything and everything. Mostly it was the dogs. She loved dogs, she loved animals," she said. "She was a fun lady. She didn't give a hoot. She told you straight to your face, whether you like it or not."
Suspect lived next door, neighbours refused to let her in
Melissa Gabriel, the suspect in the woman's death, lived in the house next to Gregorchuk.
She saw her only rarely, but she did see her the night the woman was killed.
Gregorchuk said Gabriel showed up at her front door, pounding on it and demanding to be let in.
"I said, 'You tell me if you need help. I'll get you some help, whatever you want, but you're not coming in,'" she said.
Gregorchuk is relieved she stood her ground not to let Gabriel in.
"I don't know what would have happened," she said, shuddering.
Gregorchuk called police and watched as they handcuffed the suspect and put her in a police cruiser.
Gregorchuk says she'd like to say goodbye properly to her friend.
"I just hope we find out where her funeral is because I'd like to go see her."