VANCOUVER - The British Columbia Prosecution Service says new evidence from police has resulted in an upgraded charge of first-degree murder against a man accused of killing his ex-wife with a hammer in a Kelowna parking lot.

James Plover had previously faced a second-degree murder charge over the killing of Bailey McCourt last July while he was free on bail, which sparked political conversations about the need for bail reform.

The prosecution service says the murder charge was upgraded on Friday and a charge of dangerous driving causing bodily harm was also laid in connection to a second victim on the day McCourt was attacked.

Plover was convicted of choking someone and uttering threats, then was freed on $500 bail, just hours before the alleged attack on his estranged wife.

The ident

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