The 24-year-old man who pleaded guilty to killing Surrey realtor Colin Hill during a home invasion has now apologized to the man’s family.

Khouri Lamar Green shot the 42-year-old father of two in the chest. Home security video presented by Crown shows Hill fighting Green to give his wife and children more time to hide after Green forced his way into their house in July 2015. The killer refused to look at the screens, staring at the floor instead.

Green pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shocking slaying in November. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for two days, starting Monday.

Addressing the court in a hushed voice from the prisoner’s box, Green read haltingly from a prepared statement, saying he was sorry and that it’s “not fair to the family. I took Mr. Hill away for no reason.”

He also told the judge he was ready to serve time , and “All I ask is the family and I have peace of mind.”

When he shot Hill, Green had been on probation for other crimes. Justice Harvey heard that Green repeatedly broke probation orders and had a history of breaking into homes and drug dealing.

The victim, whom friends and colleagues described as a hard worker and dedicated family man, was hailed as a hero for his attempt to protect his loved ones during the terrifying attack, which happened just before midnight on a Sunday.

Hill, his wife Becky, teen son Matthew and young daughter Leah had been packing for a family trip to Las Vegas the next day. Becky was too emotional to read her victim impact statement, so the Crown did so, describing a new life lived in fear of everything, while working to support the family on her own.

“I do not feel safe anywhere,” it reads.

Matthew described the agony of having his father die in his lap as he struggled to staunch the bleeding with towels.

“We live in a society where someone like my dad would die defending his family,” he said, calling Green a coward who’d rather steal than earn what he had in life.

“It’s hard trusting people.”

Hill noticed someone trying to break into their home near 64th Avenue and 166th Street, and immediately tried to block to the door to keep the intruder outside.

He lost the struggle, but called out to his family that an armed robber was inside, giving them a chance to find a safe space to hide.

Court heard that Green had fought with his girlfriend and mistress earlier that day, describing him as broke and frustrated. He grabbed a 9mm semi-automatic Smith and Wesson, a restricted weapon in Canada, and stole a car from a strip mall. He found the car owner’s address through the insurance papers and scouted the neighbourhood for a home to rob. The Hills lived next door.

The surveillance video showed Green skulking around the family home and attacking Hill. The struggle and shooting was over in less than 30 seconds.

Green’s siblings and mother were in the courtroom, and she sobbed quietly as she saw the events unfold. She was most distraught hearing the victim impact statement of Hill’s daughter, now just eight years old.

“I want my dad back,” wrote Leah.

“We don’t have a family anymore.”

Though a joint submission from Crown and defense council asks for life in prison without parole for 17 years, the judge hasn’t rendered his sentencing decision yet. That comes Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. at New Westminster Supreme Court.