Ashley "Big Ash" Bourget, a 41-year-old mother of two, has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years for her role in the brutal first-degree murder of drug dealer Grant Edward Norton.
A Grisly Discovery Along the Thames
The case reached its conclusion on Monday afternoon in a London, Ontario courtroom, where Justice Martha Cook delivered the stern sentence. Bourget, who was convicted in May of first-degree murder, chose not to address the court during her sentencing hearing.
Grant Norton, 59, a low-level drug dealer and associate of the Hamilton mob, met his horrific end in July 2020 after being lured to Bourget's Adelaide Street residence under the pretence of a drug transaction. Instead, court heard he was ambushed in what was planned as a robbery that would net his attackers thousands of dollars.
The Torture Killing Unfolds
Evidence presented at trial painted a disturbing picture of Norton's final hours. After arriving at the residence on July 7, 2020, Norton was beaten, battered, hog-tied, and ultimately stabbed to death. His assailants then stuffed his body into a white plastic barrel and abandoned it along the banks of London's Thames River.
Norton's disappearance coincided with the turbulent final days of the Southern Ontario mob war. Just three days after Norton vanished, his underworld benefactor, Hamilton mob kingpin Pasquale "Fat Pat" Musitano, 52, was gunned down in a Burlington strip mall hit.
The Musitano rubout effectively ended the crime family's decades-long reign and brought a fragile peace to the region's criminal underworld, which had seen around a dozen killings during the fratricidal conflict.
Justice Served After Five Convictions
Justice Cook left no ambiguity about Bourget's central role in the killing, telling the court, "Ms. Bourget may not have been the only person involved in Mr. Norton's unlawful confinement and violent death, but she actively participated in the killing."
The judge emphasized the severity of Norton's final moments, noting he was "restrained, robbed, savagely beaten and stabbed" during the ordeal.
Bourget represents the fourth of five convictions in connection with Norton's murder. In October, Wesley Peters, 33, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. His sentencing is scheduled for February 2024.
Before Bourget was led away to begin her sentence, Justice Cook offered sobering final words: "Whether you earn parole in 25 years, or ever, will depend on what you do starting today."
Both Bourget and Norton were known figures in London's criminal circles, operating at the lower levels of the drug trade. Norton had been living in an Ingersoll hotel prior to his death and maintained connections to various construction scams alongside his drug operations.
