Trio pleads guilty to murder, conspiracy in relation to Jonathan Bacon's killing
Bacon, 30, was shot outside a Kelowna hotel in August 2011
Three men accused of killing Jonathan Bacon in a daytime gang shooting outside a Kelowna, B.C., hotel have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy charges as part of a plea deal to end the case.
Bacon, the eldest of three brothers linked to the Red Scorpions gang, was shot and killed just after 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2011.
Jason McBride, Michael Jones and Jujhar Khun-Khun were arrested in 2013.
McBride was charged with second-degree murder in Bacon's death, as well as attempted murder of four others targeted in the shooting.
Jones and Khun-Khun faced charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
The Crown and defence entered a joint statement agreeing on recommended sentences.
If the B.C. Supreme Court accepts the recommendation, McBride would be sentenced to life in prison with no chance at parole for 18 years.
Jones and Kuhn-Kuhn would sentenced to 18 years each; with credit for time served, they'll spend 10 years behind bars.
Original charges
McBride, Jones and Khun-Khun were initially charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. They all pleaded not guilty to those offences.
However, they were charged with new offences after striking a plea deal earlier this spring.
On Tuesday, the B.C. Prosecution Service said it opted for a plea deal in the interest of securing convictions, as the case had been marred by delays and legal challenges.
Shots fired in busy parking lot
Bacon, 30, was leaving the hotel with the others in a Porsche Cayenne when two men opened fire, court heard.
Three others were also injured in the shooting outside Kelowna's Delta Grand Hotel: Hells Angels member Larry Amero and two women who'd been in the SUV with Bacon.
One of the women, Leah Hadden-Watts, was left paralyzed.
Court heard that her vertebrae were shattered by bullets, leaving her with permanent disabilities and a reduced life expectancy.
A fourth, targeted person — gangster James Riach — escaped injury and ran out of the car.
Bacon and his brothers, Jamie and Jarrod, were believed by authorities to control the Red Scorpions gang, which was at the centre of a bloody gang war that played out on the streets of Metro Vancouver years ago.
Court heard that the shooting targeting Bacon was in retaliation for the Metrotown shooting death of Gurmeet Dhak in 2010.
McBride and Khun-Khun both have extensive criminal histories. Jones did not have a criminal record.
With files from The Canadian Press and Brady Strachan