Friends of a Kelowna man accused of killing his wife and two children are reeling as they try to reconcile the family they knew with news they’re hearing.
Jacob Daniel Forman, 34, has been charged with three counts of second degree murder for allegedly killing his family at some point between Sunday and Tuesday, according to court documents. His wife Clara, and daughters Karina and Yesenia have been named as his alleged victims. He has no previous criminal record.
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A Vernon man, who asked that his name be withheld, knew Forman eight years ago when they both lived in Armstrong. Both plumbers, they carpooled to work for a few months for the Kelowna General Hospital project.
“He seemed like a really nice guy,” he said. “When I (saw) the picture I was in shock. The whole time I worked with him I didn’t ever see him get mad or upset. A really happy go lucky cheerful guy. But that was a long time ago, so who knows?”
He had even met Clara once or twice and went out for dinner with the couple one night.
“He seemed like a good family man,” the co-worker said.
It’s a sentiment others who knew Forman in his younger years also shared.
One woman, who also asked that her name be withheld, said she went to high school with Forman in Quesnel and knew him to be a nice and normal guy, who prioritized his faith. Forman, she added, met his wife at a religious retreat in Mexico.
Through the years they touched base here and there, although they hadn’t had contact in five years, and Forman wrote often about how happy he was with becoming a father and having a family.
It’s hard to reconcile the man they knew, with the crimes he’s charged with.
Neighbours of the Bolotzky Court property say Forman, his two elementary-school age girls and wife moved to the neighbourhood in the last year.
Jeff McLeod often saw Forman, a plumber, going to and from work, from his vantage point across the street and said that the family was very quiet.
“It’s shocking, the whole neighbourhood is in shock. We hardly ever see them. They were really quiet, like ghosts.” said McLeod. In the lead up to police arriving at the home and marking it off with tape, McLeod said he saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary.
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Forman’s wife is listed on social media as Clara Forman, and friends and loved ones are already expressing grief and confusion.
“Please pray for my family. We are shocked and devastated by the senseless loss of these three beautiful souls,” wrote Mav Gonzalez Barrena, on Twitter.
“It’s hard to even fathom that this is really happening.”
Clara Forman was originally from Mexico and worked at GoodLife Fitness. She wrote on Facebook that she met Forman 12 years ago.
“Met in January, started dating in July, engaged Oct. 27, married three weeks later on Nov. 11 at sunset. When I married Jacob Forman I left everything I knew to come to Canada and build a life,” she wrote, Nov. 11, 2015.
“God blessed our feeble efforts with good jobs, good friends, a great church family and most importantly, two of the best little humans a couple of people could ask for. Ten years later you are still the person I want to grow old with.”
Friends of Clara are holding a Candlelight vigil Dec. 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Stuart Park by the Christmas tree.
“The Latin American Community in Kelowna invites all residents to walk together against violence towards women,” reads a Facebook post. “Please bring a candle along. We are in this together.”
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