THE BC Prosecution Service announced on Monday that the sentencing hearing in the case of Jamie (James Kyle) Bacon has been adjourned from July 23 to August 28.
Counsel anticipate making submissions at that appearance, and the court is expected to pronounce the sentence on September 11, said Dan McLaughlin, BCPS Communications Counsel.
“As the matter remains before the court the BC Prosecution Service will not be commenting or releasing any additional information at this time,” he added.
As reported here on July 9, because of a plea agreement between Crown and defence, Bacon pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit the murder of Corey Lal in the Surrey Six murders and counselling someone to murder an associate, Dennis Karbovanec, in another case in 2008. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Ker found Bacon guilty on both counts. But the first-degree murder charge in the Surrey Six murders will be stayed at the time of sentencing – which was to have been on July 23.
Bacon had been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit the murder of Corey Lal, one of six people who died on October 19, 2007, at the Balmoral Tower building in Surrey. In 2014, Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston were convicted of six counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in relation to this case. Both offenders are now serving life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years. However, they have appealed their convictions.
Innocent victims Chris Mohan, who lived with his parents in their apartment next door to Corey Lal, and gasfitter Edward J. Schellenberg, 55, of Abbotsford, along with four other victims who police said led criminal lifestyles – brothers Corey Lal, 21, and Michael Justin Lal, 26, and Edward (Eddie) Sousakhone Narong, 22, and Ryan Bartolomeo, 19 – were all executed in typical gang-style fashion at Apartment 1505 of the Balmoral Towers at 9830 East Whalley Ring Road in Surrey that day.
Last May, the B.C. Court of Appeal had announced that Bacon could be tried in the Surrey Six murders case, setting aside the stay of proceedings by a B.C. Supreme Court judge on December 1, 2017. But then earlier this month, a deal was suddenly announced.
Bacon’s defence lawyer Kevin Westell told reporters that if the joint submission was accepted, his client will serve another five to six years as he would get 12 years pre-trial credit against the 18-year deal.
Crown counsel Bob Wright told reporters the joint sentencing submission is 18 years on the Surrey Six conspiracy and 10 on the counselling charge and is expected to be concurrent.
