A Penticton woman originally charged with first-degree murder in relation to a double homicide in Summerland more than four years ago pleaded guilty to manslaughter Thursday at the Penticton Courthouse.
Jaline Faith King, 43, will spend another 15 months in prison on top of the more than nine months she’s been in custody since her arrest last year.
King was originally charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Douglas Barker and one count of accessory to murder after the fact in the death of Alannah Brown.
The investigation began after firefighters from Summerland found the remains of the two victims near a provincial park close to Penticton. The bodies of Barker and Brown were discovered on Sept. 14, 2022.
Justice Lynett Jung accepted a joint submission Thursday that King receive a sentence of two years less one day, plus three years of probation to be served under strict conditions, including spending a minimum of one year receiving counselling and treatment at a alcohol and drug recovery centre in Victoria after her release from jail.
King has already served 278 days in custody and received one-for-one credit for that time served, leaving her to serve another 451 days in jail before she’s released. She will then spend three years under strict orders on probation.
Court heard King will spend a minimum of 12 months after her release attending counselling and treatment at a recovery facility for Indigenous women in Victoria.
Jung agreed with legal submissions from the Crown and defence counsel K.C. Johnson that an agreed statement of facts relating to King’s role in Barker’s death not be read into the court record as it would jeopardize the future trial of Yves Grenier, who was charged in early March with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Barker and Brown.
Grenier was under investigation by the RCMP for drug trafficking in 2022 when it’s alleged he killed Barker and Brown.
As he was only recently charged, it’s not expected Grenier’s trial will begin any time soon.
Others facing serious charges in relation to the deaths of Barker and Brown include Simon Bourbonnais, 38, who was charged with manslaughter, unlawful confinement and two counts of interference with a dead body.
It’s expected Bourbannais will go on trial some time in the next few months.
All charges against Tyler Stuart were dropped in December. He had been facing charges of accessory after the fact to murder and interference with a dead body.
At the time charges against Stuart were dropped, Mitchell Reid Meilleur, 35, was charged with accessory after the fact to murder and interference with a dead body.
Court heard Thursday that King had accumulated a substantial criminal record more than a decade ago, but hadn’t been in any trouble with the law since 2016 until this incident.
Johnson told the court his client grew up in Kitchener, Ont., but moved to Penticton with her mother when she was 11 years of age.
She worked a variety of jobs, including as a baker and in construction, but suffered from back problems and has been collecting a disability pension since 2015, he said.
Unfortunately, King started hanging around with a bad crowd and eventually became severely addicted to fentanyl and cocaine, said Johnson.
“She was clearly mixed up with the wrong people,” he said,
King “does feel terribly about what happened” and accepts responsibility for her involvement in the deaths of Barker and Brown, he said.
King stood up and sobbed uncontrollably when she addressed the court briefly Thursday, stating her remorse and regret for her involvement in this tragedy and how her addiction to hard drugs had led her to make terrible decisions.
Johnson said the seriousness of this matter can’t be overstated, but added his client is very remorseful, has become clean and sober while in custody, had stayed out of trouble for more than a decade before this incident and looks forward to continue her sobriety after her release and becoming a productive member of society.
Jung said the joint submission presented to her was reasonable under all the circumstances and she would accede to the proposed sentence of another 15 months in jail on top of the more than nine months King has already spent behind bars.
During her three years on probation, Jung ordered King to have no contact with any co-accused in this matter and not drink alcohol or any illicit drug. She was also banned from owning or possessing any prohibited weapon or ammunition for the rest of her life.
She was also ordered to provide a DNA sample for a national crime data bank and take any further counselling or treatment recommended to her by her probation officer once her probation ends.
The charge of accessory to murder after the fact was stayed by the Crown following the sentencing.
