The victims of a double homicide that took place in a small southern Vancouver Island community over the weekend were a father and son who had recently taken in a childhood friend — the same man who is now accused of their murders, according to family members.
Justin James Dodd, 33, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after the bodies of Brad Johnson, 35, and his father Tom Johnson, 57, were found in a Crofton home just after midnight Saturday.
“His Dad was pretty sick and could hardly walk so Brad was looking after him,” said Bruce Thompson a friend and landlord of the victims.
Thompson called Brad Johnson a kind, teddy bear of a person.
“He was just a big teddy bear. He always kept asking me what do you want done Bruce? What do you want done? He’d cook me food to bring me upstairs,” said Thompson.
Dodd was arrested “without incident” after the bodies were discovered, following a report of a suspicious circumstance at the home in the 8600-block of Crofton Road. Dodd remained in custody Monday at the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment.
Family members identified the slain father and son to CHEK News and said Dodd was an early childhood friend of Brad’s who had recently been released from jail and needed a place to stay. They took him in two days prior to their bodies being discovered.
“I never in a million years would have thought this would have happened because my brother trusted him so intensely,” said Lloy.
The victims of Saturday’s double homicide in Crofton are being identified as this father & son. According to family, they lived in the home where they were killed “and were helping out a friend who had nowhere to go.” The accused was a childhood friend of one victim @CHEK_News pic.twitter.com/LCcTVi8r1J
— Skye Ryan (@SkyeRyanCHEK) October 25, 2021
“For now life just doesn’t seem real. I feel like a piece of me is missing. Truly. I’m just in shock,” Chelsea Lloy, sister and daughter of the two victims, told CHEK News. “I never in a million years would have thought this would have happened because my brother trusted him so intensely. That I trusted this guy because my older brother trusted him.”
RCMP say the investigation into the homicides remains “active and ongoing” with members of the North Cowichan RCMP General Investigation Section continuing to gather evidence.
“While the investigation is in the preliminary stages, police believe this was an isolated incident and there is no on-going risk to the general public,” Sgt. Chris Manseau, media spokesperson with the BC RCMP, said in a press release on the weekend.
The BC Coroners Service is also conducting a “fact-finding investigation” into the deaths, according to RCMP.
Anyone with information on the double homicide is asked to call RCMP at 250-748-5522.
With files from CHEK’s Skye Ryan.
Jeff Lawrence
