B.C. man found not guilty in plot to kidnap 2 people, kill them by throwing them off a bridge
A B.C. man who was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and kidnapping in connection to an incident near Williams Lake in 2019 has been found not guilty on all counts.
Michael Drynock was accused of participating in a scheme to kill Branton Regner and his girlfriend Chantelle Laplante by throwing them off the Rudy Johnson Bridge on the night of Aug. 8, 2019.
Regner's body was recovered from the Fraser River three weeks later, in a part of the river about 50 kilometres away, by road.
Laplante, however, survived the fall, and was the Crown's main witness in the case against Drynock.
A B.C. Supreme Court decision issued last week describes the circumstances surrounding the incident, the Crown's theory of the murder plot, and the post-incident investigation in great detail.
WHAT HAPPENED
The undisputed facts of the incident, according to Justice Carol J. Ross, are that Regner was invited to a barbecue and Laplante decided to join him. The pair were picked up from their home on Mackenzie Avenue and taken to the trailer where the barbecue was supposedly happening, but when they arrived, four men were waiting for them.
The men beat up Regner and forced him into the trunk of a different vehicle. They also forced Laplante into the backseat at gunpoint, according to the decision.
Ross wrote that the men then drove to the bridge, got Regner out of the trunk, and threw him into the river. Then they beat up Laplante and did the same to her.
For Ross, the case turned on the question of whether a man Laplante identified as "Mikey," who was in the front seat of the vehicle, could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to be Drynock.
WITNESS EXPECTATIONS
While Ross found Laplante to be a credible witness, she concluded that there was a possibility that Laplante had a sincere but mistaken belief as to Mikey's identity.
Ross noted that the incident began around 11 p.m., and that it was too dark for Laplante to make out distinguishing features of the people involved in her abduction and attempted murder.
Laplante was also experiencing "terrifying circumstances" that were unfolding quickly, the judge noted, adding that she had used methamphetamine shortly before she and Regner departed for the barbecue.
Beyond that, Ross found that Laplante had an "expectation" that Drynock would be involved in the kidnapping, because she associated him with Jayson James Anthony Gilbert, who Ross concluded was present in the vehicle.
According to the court decision, Regner had told Laplante that Gilbert and Drynock were two of the four men he had seen in the driveway at their home on Mackenzie Avenue earlier in the week, shortly before their roommate Richard Duncan was shot.
"Ms. Laplante was afraid of all of the people that Mr. Regner had said he had seen," Ross wrote in her decision.
"She wanted to avoid them, and all the people who associated with them, to the extent that she and Mr. Regner had planned to leave town as soon as their truck was rendered operational."
The judge wrote that Laplante believed the four men kidnapped her and Regner because Regner had witnessed the earlier shooting, and she agreed during questioning that this belief was a factor in her identification of Mikey as Drynock.
THE BURDEN OF PROOF
Ross noted that the burden of proof was on the Crown to show beyond a reasonable doubt that Drynock was involved in the incident. Even if Laplante were "probably correct" in identifying him as a participant, that would not be sufficient proof, the judge wrote.
"In all of the circumstances, I believe that it is a reasonable possibility that Ms. Laplante’s identification was shaped by her expectations and that she is mistaken in her identification of Mr. Drynock as the person who asked her questions at the trailer and rode in the front passenger seat on the way to the bridge," Ross wrote.
Therefore, she concluded that the Crown had not met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and found Drynock not guilty on all three of the charges he faced.
Two other men – the aforementioned Jayson James Anthony Gilbert and Jordell Anthony Sellars – initially faced the same charges as Drynock.
Gilbert pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder earlier this year. He also pleaded guilty to attempted murder and kidnapping. According to the BC Prosecution Service, he is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19.
The charges against Sellars were stayed in October 2021, the BCPS confirmed, saying in an email, "the charge assessment standard could no longer be met."
Earlier this year, Sellars was charged with attempted murder and discharging a firearm with intent to endanger life in connection to a shooting at the Williams Lake Stampede.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.