Murder charge laid in Vancouver stabbing death

Gastown and the Downtown Eastside are seen in Vancouver, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A 27-year-old man is facing a murder charge in connection with a fatal stabbing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Braden Levine Ollenberger was charged with second-degree murder on Wednesday, just hours after he was arrested in the stabbing death of 49-year-old James Andrew Slater.

Vancouver police responded to 911 calls from witnesses near the intersection of East Hastings and Columbia streets at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The victim was transported to hospital where he later died.

Court records show Ollenberger remains in police custody with his next court appearance scheduled for May 14 in Vancouver.

A woman was also arrested in the stabbing but police have not announced charges against her related to the incident.

Slater’s death marked Vancouver’s fourth homicide of 2026, according to police.