Inmate serving life sentence for B.C. sledgehammer murder dies in prison

William Head Institution in Metchosin, B.C., is pictured. (CTV News)

A convicted killer who was serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder of his business partner has died in a British Columbia prison.

David Anthony Lowe died of apparent natural causes on June 13, according to a statement Monday from the assistant warden of William Head Institution near Victoria, where Lowe had been serving time for the 1994 murder of William Rudy.

Lowe and Rudy were part owners of the Rumours nightclub in Port Coquitlam, B.C., when Lowe struck Rudy in the head with a sledgehammer, killing him, his 2004 trial heard.

The court found that Lowe left Rudy's body in a forested area near Agassiz, though the remains would go undiscovered for more than two years.

The killer avoided prosecution for the crime for a decade but was brought to justice after bragging about the killing to undercover police officers who had posed as members of a criminal gang.

At trial, Lowe denied any involvement in the murder, telling the court his statements to the undercover officers were false and were motivated by fear, a desire for acceptance and potential financial gain.

Lowe was born in England and came to Canada in 1975, according to court documents. He was 59 years old when he was convicted by a B.C. Supreme Court judge in 2004.

The Correctional Service of Canada says police, the coroner and Lowe's next of kin of been notified of his death.

The correctional service will conduct its own review into the inmate's death in accordance with its protocols, the agency said.