Jeanie Fraser has nothing but praise for the RCMP, after a man was arrested for murdering her brother on March 10, 1998.

The Langley resident says her brother Vic, who was 42 at the time of the murder, was well-liked by both his family and co-workers. He had dropped by her home in the Bridgeview area of Surrey to check on a water leak, and interrupted a burglary in progress. For doing so, he was murdered.

Now charged with second-degree murder is Gary Johnston, 51, who was arrested in Montreal.

The entire incident has been devastating for Fraser. After living in the home for 10 years, she was never able to spend another night there. She has since moved to a quiet rural area of Langley.

She has been a fixture at events where victims of crime plead their cases with politicians and the public. She has spoken about the need to continue to search for killers long after a crime has been committed, and has been a ceaseless advocate for justice in her brother’s murder.

Through it all, she says the RCMP have been very supportive. They have kept her posted, and she praises them for never giving up. At times, she wondered if the case would ever be solved.

In 2005, Surrey RCMP set up an Unsolved Homicide Unit, and through its efforts, more information about the case surfaced. This finally led to Johnston’s arrest.

Jeanie says Vic was a very generous person. He was a great uncle to her children, and regularly took them and other neighbourhood kids out for ice cream or other treats.

He also was generous to charities — donating to Children’s Hospital and other causes. He never told his family about his donations, which they discovered while cleaning up his affairs after his death.

He was an employee of Phoenix Trucking, and also served as a shop steward for all crane operators in the Lower Mainland, Jeanie said. He had many friends through his work.

“I just want everybody to know — don’t give up,” she said.

She will continue to follow Johnston’s progress through the court system.