A B.C. man that begged responsible to 2 issues of second-degree homicide has really been provided a life sentence with out chance of parole for 14 years.
The sentence was given out in a Vancouver court docket on Friday to Colin Raymond Correia, that was at first acquitted within the homicide of two people: Leanne MacFarlane and her companion, Jeffrey Todd Taylor– a pardon that would definitely afterward be appealed.
The twin homicide occurred in Cranbrook, in B.C.’s Kootenay space, on May 29, 2010.
Cranbrook RCMP replied to telephone calls of a capturing at a leased nation home close to Highway 93 and uncovered the physique of MacFarlane, 43, and a significantly harm Taylor, 42.
Four males, consisting of Correia, had been detained and billed with conspiracy idea to dedicate homicide, conspiracy idea to dedicate worsened assault and remedy to dedicate the offenses of worsened assault and homicide.
Gang struck at incorrect targets
At the second, RCMP said all 4 males had been understood to cops and urged a homicide technique was hatched out of vengeance for a capturing in a Cranbrook bar in 2009
“The theory of the Crown was that Mr. Correia and a co‑accused were members of a gang engaged in criminal activity, including dealing in illicit drugs, and that they attended the residence intending to kill Doug Mahon, a member of the rival gang who had resided there previously,” the attract court docket judges said in an October 2024 alternative.
“The Crown contends that unknown to Mr. Correia and his co‑accused, Mr. Mahon had moved from the residence months before the shootings, and it had been re‑let to Ms. MacFarlane and Mr. Taylor. In the Crown’s theory, the two victims were shot and killed by mistake.”
In 2013, Correia was based responsible of the conspiracy idea to homicide Mahon and punished to 13 years behind bars.
In 2018, he was detained as soon as extra whereas out on parole in Edmonton and billed with the first-degree homicide of Taylor and McFarlane.
Over this system of two days, he was questioned by RCMP in Alberta and made what Crown district attorneys urged had been incriminating declarations.
But the declarations had been dominated inadmissible by the take a look at court docket that advisable that they had really been acquired with “police trickery”, with RCMP recommending to Correia that he couldn’t self-incriminate since he had really at the moment provided time for conspiracy idea versus Mahon.
In April 2022, Correia was found not responsible, nonetheless the Crown appealed, saying his declarations have to have been listened to all through the take a look at and the choice would definitely have been numerous had they been considered.
The attract court docket judges concurred — looking for in October 2024 that Correia acknowledged he encountered the chance of a homicide take a look at and “understood the ramifications of such a conviction.”
He was billed as soon as extra with 2 issues of first-degree homicide nonetheless begged responsible to the minimal offense of second-degree homicide.
Apart from the life sentence, he has a life time restriction on proudly owning or using weapons and may ship an instance of his DNA.
