B.C. man sentenced for 'execution-style' murder of bystander in drug trade conflict

The lobby of B.C. Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver is seen in a CTV News file image.

A B.C. man convicted of the "intentional and ruthless killing of a bystander" while acting as an enforcer in the drug trade has been sentenced for a second time in the slaying.

Hugh Alexander McIntosh will serve 17 years in prison for second-degree murder before he is eligible for parole, the judge ruled, noting that the Nov. 22 sentencing came after the successful appeal of a first-degree murder conviction earlier this year.

In 2019, the court heard, McIntosh and an associate went to the Kamloops home of a drug dealer – a woman identified as K.C. in the decision – who had recently been robbed of $20,000. While there, during a conflict with K.C. over the missing money, McIntosh killed K.C.'s housemate J.G. "execution style," shooting him once in the back of the head, the court heard.

"J.G. was not part of the drug-trafficking enterprise," Associate Chief Justice Heather H. Holmes wrote in her decision.

"He was a bystander fatally caught in the crosshairs of drug enforcement measures involving the others."

McIntosh also shot K.C. five times, hitting her twice in the head, causing injuries that required a "large portion of her skull" to be removed. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for her attempted murder. The decision says she is now a protected witness and describes the impact J.G.’s murder had on K.C.

"She is scarred physically but also emotionally in very serious ways from the ordeal she underwent and from the trauma of losing her friend, J.G., in a killing in her home, committed in cold blood before her eyes," Holmes said.

A victim impact statement from J.G.'s mother – originally delivered at McIntosh's 2021 sentencing for first-degree murder – was also read into the record.

"In her statement, (she) speaks of the awful consequences of her son’s death, for her personally and for J.G.’s son who will not have his father in his life," the decision says, summarizing the statement.

Among the aggravating factors the court considered was McIntosh's lengthy criminal record, with 60 convictions spanning decades. At the time of J.G.'s murder, McIntosh was bound by court-ordered conditions prohibiting him from possessing weapons.

The context of the murder was also considered aggravating, with McIntosh acting as an enforcer in a larger drug trafficking operation.

"By its nature, the offence was an execution-style killing in the context of drug collection, with Mr. McIntosh acting purely in an enforcement capacity," the judge said.

"Offences of this nature strike at the very heart of society and bring corruption, fear, and despair to the community."

A conviction of second-degree murder comes with an automatic life sentence, and the judge agreed with a joint submission from Crown and defence that an appropriate period of parole eligibility would be 17 years.

"Even after the period of parole ineligibility, Mr. McIntosh will not be released unless he can satisfy the parole board that he should be released. And even if he is released, he will be subject to supervision for the rest of his life by corrections authorities," Homes said.

"Also important to note is that unfortunately no sentence of any type or any length can serve to bring back J.G. or to allow K.C. to heal."