WINNIPEG SUN NEWSPAPER
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Investigators sift life for motive to murder
Detectives seek public's help
By ROCHELLE SQUIRES, STAFF REPORTER
The city's 21st homicide victim of 2004 was a kind and caring man -- but it's easy to see why he may have had an enemy, says a former neighbour. Brian Alexander Wellard, a 67-year-old retired school bus driver, was an interim superintendent at his downtown apartment building, said Tim Ross, who came to know the senior while serving on the building's board of directors.
"Brian was the archetypical cantankerous old man with a heart of gold," Ross, 31, told The Sun.
"A superintendent is going to piss some people right off, and he didn't have a problem with that."
Wellard's body was discovered in his suite at The Colonnade at 77 Edmonton St., about 10:30 a.m. Monday, after a neighbour called cops.
It's believed he was beaten to death.
Homicide detectives were asking for the public's help in piecing together the final days of Wellard's life.
"We're hoping that someone will come forward who has had contact with him who might be able to suggest to us what may have happened," said Winnipeg police spokeswoman Const. Shelly Glover.
"We are relying on the public to be our eyes and our ears and to help us solve this crime."
HE WAS AN AIDS SUPPORT-CENTRE VOLUNTEER
Wellard was also a volunteer handyman at Nine Circles Community Health Centre, a clinic that provides support for people who are HIV-positive or affected by AIDS.
Friends and co-workers at the clinic wouldn't say why Wellard was concerned with AIDS-related issues, only that he had taken to heart issues surrounding the disease.
"He did handyman jobs around the agency, like hanging up pictures and odd jobs," said John Stinson, the executive director at the clinic.
Wellard had been volunteering at the clinic at 705 Broadway for about three years and was well-liked among the staff.
The senior was also very computer savvy and was interested in digital photography. Using his skills and equipment, Wellard would design a calendar featuring photos of his three cats to give out at Christmas.
Wellard was a member of the PT Cruiser Club of Manitoba and owned a 2003 Almond-coloured PT Cruiser nicknamed Rebel PT. He was also part of an Internet club called CarDomain.com and had a web page.
Allan Labossiere from St. Boniface Collision and Refinishers Ltd. did several customized enhancements to Wellard's car and said it was the senior's most prized possession.
Wellard often had his customized PT Cruiser at local car shows. Enhancements included a refinished 1941 Cadillac Hood Goddess mounted on the hood, whitewall tires and a set of handcuffs hanging from the rear-view mirror.
Anyone who has had contact with Wellard between last Thursday and Monday is asked to call homicide detectives at 986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (8477).
