Photo of Robert Giblin via Facebook
Toronto police say the pregnant wife of a Canadian army veteran was stabbed multiple times by her husband before they both plunged to their deaths from a high rise tower Sunday evening.In a press release on Monday, police said they had determined that Robert Giblin, 43, was responsible for 33-year-old Precious Charbonneau's homicide.An autopsy has found her death to have been "multiple impact injuries consistent with fall from height," police said."I can't say if it was a matter she was thrown or she jumped," said Toronto police Constable Craig Brister. "I don't know whether we'll ever know exactly what happened."Brister said Giblin, who served two tours in Afghanistan, had not been stabbed. Police believe Charbonneau was nine weeks pregnant at the time of her death.According to Giblin's Facebook page, the two were married on November 14.The majority of photos on his social media profile depict the married couple cuddling. One photo is an ultrasound of a baby. Another shows an adorned Christmas tree in front of windows that overlook the lights of a city.
The last update on Giblin's Facebook page was a photo of the the couple cuddling, posted on early Sunday morning. Charbonneau's most recent update was a check-in on Sunday afternoon from a cheesecake restaurant in Toronto's downtown, roughly four hours before police were called to the scene outside the high-rise."We received a radio call that someone had seen someone lying on the ground outside the apartment and when officers arrived on the scene they saw both deceased outside the apartment," said Constable Craig Brister. He did not know if the caller had witnessed the pair fall.Giblin, a sergeant in the Canadian Armed Forces, served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and worked as an intelligence operator over his 18 years in the army, a Department of National Defense spokesperson told the Canadian Press."The loss of any soldier is devastating to the military community and our thoughts and condolences go out to Sgt. Robert Giblin's family and friends," DND spokesman Lonny Kates told CP.Military suicides have become a high-profile issue in Canada in recent years, as a spate of veterans returning from Afghanistan have taken their own lives due to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, alcoholism, drug abuse, and over difficulties in reintegration to civilian life. Many veterans have rung the alarm, warning of a lack of mental health and support services for returning service members.While data is unreliable, if Giblin did take his own life, he would likely be the 60th Canadian veteran of Afghanistan to commit suicide.Follow Justin Ling on Twitter: @justin_ling
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