A British Columbia man who confessed to shooting two acquaintances after their deaths were initially ruled accidental by a coroner has been sentenced to life in prison.
Life Sentence for Long-Harboured Resentments
Mitchell McIntyre, 66, was sentenced on Thursday in B.C. Supreme Court to life imprisonment for second-degree murder. He will not be eligible for parole for at least 13 years. The sentencing was delivered by Justice Paul Riley in a Kamloops courtroom, with McIntyre attending by video. When given the opportunity to speak, McIntyre declined to comment.
McIntyre pleaded guilty in November to the murder of Julia Howe, 56, his landlord's partner and a grandmother of five. He also pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a firearm in the killing of David Creamer, 69, on the same day in February 2022. He received an eight-year sentence for the manslaughter conviction, to be served concurrently with the life sentence.
A Bizarre Case of Coroner Error and Confession
The case took a remarkable turn due to initial investigative findings. Both killings occurred on February 6, 2022, in two separate Kootenay towns: Howe in Creston and Creamer in Kimberley. The B.C. Coroners Service originally ruled both deaths as accidental, attributing them to falls.
The truth began to unravel when an autopsy on Julia Howe's body discovered a bullet in her skull, reclassifying her death as a homicide. By that time, David Creamer's body had been cremated. Without physical evidence, McIntyre was not charged in Creamer's death until after he pleaded guilty to Howe's murder. He immediately confessed to the second killing.
The B.C. Coroners Service stated this week that its investigations into the deaths are ongoing, and the chief coroner will decide whether the final reports will be made public.
Aggravating Factors and Mitigating Circumstances
Justice Riley accepted a joint sentencing recommendation from the Crown prosecutor and McIntyre's defence lawyer. The judge acknowledged several mitigating factors, including McIntyre's lack of prior criminal record, his lifetime of employment, and a history of significant personal struggles. These include physical and sexual abuse in his youth, substance abuse disorder, paranoid personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depressive disorder, diabetes, and a history of heart attack and stroke.
However, Justice Riley was clear that these factors did not reduce his moral blameworthiness. "To be clear, Mr. McIntyre certainly knew what he was doing was wrong when he committed the homicides," Riley said, though he noted the crimes were committed in part due to personality disorders exacerbated by substance abuse.
The joint recommendation considered McIntyre's age and poor health. The judge also expressed concern about McIntyre's lack of insight, minimization of his actions, and continuing sense of grievance, factors that could present a risk of re-offending. McIntyre has also stated an intention not to participate in rehabilitation programs while in prison.
