Man convicted of murdering photographer on Vancouver's Stanley Park seawall sentenced to life in prison
Tyler Lagimodiere is seen in an undated image.
VANCOUVER -
The man convicted of murdering an amateur photographer in Stanley Park five years ago has been sentenced to life in prison.
In a news release, Vancouver police said 33-year-old Tyler Lagimodiere appeared in court Tuesday, after earlier pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the random killing of Lubomir Kunik.
The 61-year-old victim, who also went by the name Lubo, was found stabbed to death on the seawall between Second and Third beaches on Feb. 1, 2017.
"Evidence presented in court confirmed that Lagimodiere and Kunik had never met and that Lagimodiere had gone to Stanley Park on the night of the murder with the intent to kill someone," said Sgt. Steve Addison in the release.
Kunik was believed to have been photographing wildlife on the night he was killed.
In a previous interview with CTV News, the victim's longtime friend Vladimir Knapp, said he wanted Kunik to be remembered as a man who liked taking photos and was at home in the outdoors.
"He was a cameraman. He knew everything. He was an expert. He liked to see the birds, the wildlife. For him, that's what Canada was about," Knapp said at the time.
An investigation conducted by the Vancouver Police Department's homicide unit led to Lagimodiere's arrest 11 months after Kunik was killed.
On Tuesday, police said Lagimodiere will be eligible for parole in 14 years.
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