UPDATE Penticton murderer sentenced to life in prison

Oct 15, 2020 | 4:40 PM

UPDATE 5 p.m.

A man who plead guilty to four counts of murder in Penticton will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.

John Brittain, 69, was sentenced to life in prison in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna, with no chance of parole for 25 years.

The retired engineer was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder after gunning down four people in Penticton on April 15, 2019.

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UPDATE

A man who pleaded guilty to murdering four people in Penticton tearfully apologized to the victims’ families, saying he shattered their lives when he decided to shoot the victims.

John Brittain pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of first-degree murder and one charge of second-degree murder and told police when he turned himself in that the people he killed had harassed his ex-wife for years.

The retired engineer says he doesn’t understand why he did what he did, and the images he sees in his head will torment him for the rest of his life

The B.C. Supreme Court heard the 69-year-old man murdered Rudi Winter, Barry and Susan Wonch, and Darlene Knippelberg on April 15, 2019, shooting each of them multiple times.

Brittain told the court during his sentencing hearing that he is sorry for the devastation he caused his former wife, the City of Penticton and its residents, as well as police officers who responded to the carnage he caused.

Parole eligibility for first-degree murder is set at 25 years, while it is between 10 and 25 years for second-degree murder, but Brittain’s lawyer has asked a judge to impose concurrent sentences so his client would be eligible for parole in his early 90s.

(The Canadian Press)

5 a.m. story

A sentencing hearing is scheduled to continue today for a man who pleaded guilty to four murders last year in Penticton, B.C.

John Brittain pleaded guilty Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court to three charges of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder.

The court heard the 69-year-old man killed Rudi Winter, Barry and Susan Wonch, and Darlene Knippelberg on April 15, 2019, shooting each of them multiple times.

Crown attorney Colin Forsyth said Brittain explained to a police interviewer that the victims, who were all neighbours, had been harassing his ex-wife for years.

First- and second-degree murder convictions carry automatic life sentences.

Parole eligibility for first-degree murder is set at 25 years, while it is between 10 and 25 years for second-degree murder.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2020.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

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