Man charged in Ajax triple homicide appears in court

A man charged in the deaths of a woman and her two teenage children  has appeared briefly in an Oshawa court.

Cory Fenn, his face cut and bruised, was arraigned on three counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Krassimira Pejcinovski, 39, her son 15-year-old son Roy Pejcinovski, and 13-year-old daughter Venallia Pejcinovski.

Dressed in a blue T-shirt and grey track pants, a handcuffed Fenn looked around the courtroom but said nothing apart from his name and “yes” when the justice of the peace said he should ask for medical attention when he returned to jail.

Fenn was remanded in custody until an appearance by video on March 29.

The 29-year-old was arrested Wednesday night, hours after Durham regional police found the three victims with “obvious signs of trauma” in an Ajax home.

Police said Krassimira Pejcinovski and her son were dead when officers arrived, while Venallia Pejcinovski was rushed to hospital with critical injuries and died later Wednesday.

Police have not said how the three victims died, but have noted that autopsies were expected Thursday or Friday.

“As soon as we get those results back we’ll have a better understanding of how they died,” Const. George Tudos said.

Police also said Pejcinovski’s oldest daughter, a 16-year-old, was not home at the time of the incident and has been reunited with her father.

Fenn, who was known to police, was romantically involved with Krassimira Pejcinovski, officers said.

He was previously convicted for assaulting a police officer in 2009 and for mischief in 2011 and received suspended sentences. Other charges for uttering threats and bribery were withdrawn.

Police said they were called to the Ajax home shortly before noon on Wednesday by a woman who stopped by to check on a friend.

The woman said a man had answered the door and would not let her in, according to police. The man then left the area in a black pickup truck that was later found abandoned.

Const. George Tudos said forensic officers were going through the Pejcinovski home collecting evidence and would probably be there for the rest of day on Wednesday.

A small pile of flowers and cards was seen outside the family’s Ajax home Thursday afternoon. Tudos noted the family was well-regarded.

“I’ve had numerous people from the community approach me in tears and it must be very difficult not just for the victims, families, but also the whole community,” he said.

“It does affect everybody within the community.”

Crestwood Preparatory College, where Roy was a Grade 9 student, said it’s planning to bring in grief counsellors and arranging a memorial after March Break.

“[Roy] was a fantastic student and a fine goalie, leading CPC to a CISAA Championship only a week ago,” the school said on Facebook. “We will always remember him as a decent, intelligent, warm human being who brought joy to everyone he met. We will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and our prayers are with the family.

“This is gut-wrenching news for our entire community.”

His classmate Kyla Sampson said she was in shock when she heard the news.

“[Roy] was so nice, nice to everyone, always smiling, always laughing,” she said. “When people were rude, he was so nice. He never had anything bad to say, always bright — like an angel, really.

“He was always happy, always talking about his family. He loved his sisters and his mom and his dad.”

The staff of a Toronto minor hockey team echoed the school’s sentiments, saying Roy was a star goalie with the major bantam AAA Don Mills Flyers.

“On behalf of the Don Mills Flyers Organization, our entire team, the players, their families and our coaches, we want to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Roy, Krissy, and Vanna Pejcinovski,” the team said a statement.

“We are heartbroken to have lost, so suddenly, three members of our extended family.”

Grief counsellors broke the news of his death to his teammates Wednesday night, team officials said, noting he was a prospect in next year’s Ontario Hockey League draft.

“It was very tough on all of them,” team manager Nick Slawson said. “Roy was extremely well-liked, very, very popular.”

Slawson, who said he had known Roy since the boy was seven years old, said he was a skilled and determined player.

“The kid was a little undersized for a goaltender by today’s standards but it didn’t deter him at all,” he said. “One of the nicest, and gentlest boys you’d ever want to meet.”

The team’s Friday night game has been cancelled, but they will hold a practice on Saturday where grief counsellors will be brought in, Slawson said.