B.C. man who killed 15-year-old girl at Sask. farm gets life sentence for manslaughter
A British Columbia man who killed a teen girl has been sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 10 years.
Eduard Viktorovit Baranec killed 15-year-old Katelyn Marie Noble in August 2007.
He slit her throat in the bushes of a farm in Raddison, Sask., according to an agreed statement of facts.
He was sentenced on Friday afternoon in a joint submission at Saskatoon’s Court of Queen’s Bench.
Baranec was charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
“In order to bring finality and certainty to the family, we decided to accept the lesser included offence of manslaughter,” Crown prosecutor Jennifer Claxton-Viczco said.
Baranec met Noble through her then 35-year-old boyfriend, Greg Friend.
Friend and Baranec ran a marijuana grow-op together in Raddison.
Noble moved to the Raddison grow-op from B.C.
Court heard Baranec thought the grow-op was going “sour” and Baranec believed Noble and Friend were “going against him.”
Baranec killed Noble because she was getting too involved with the grow-op, according to a Dec. 3, 2010 confession Baranec made to undercover police officers.
Baranec also hired two hitmen to kill Friend, but it was unsuccessful, according to the agreed statement of facts.
Baranec was part of a Mr. Big sting — an undercover police tactic where officers pose as criminals to elicit a confession from a suspect.
Baranec told the undercover officers he had his pistol ready to go but decided to use the knife because he didn’t have a silencer.
He demonstrated to undercover police how he did it and admitted that he put his hand over her mouth right before he killed her.
Court heard, the evening of the killing, Baranec moved Noble’s body from the bushes to a pre-dug hole on his farm.
After hearing police were searching his property, Baranec dug up Noble’s body, moved her to a remote location and re-buried her.
Noble was reported missing by her family in B.C. The last time she called her mother was August 16, 2007.
Noble’s mother, Leona Noble, travelled from B.C. to address her daughter’s killer.
“You ruined Katelyn’s life, and you ruined your own life by killing her,” Leona said, while looking at Baranec.
Leona said her daughter got involved with the wrong group of people, but believed she had a bright future.
“I did have a lot of faith in her. I do believe she could have gone a long way in her life, and there was a lot of things she wanted to do in her life,” Leona told reporters outside of court.
Noble’s remains have never been found.
Defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle said Baranec would be willing to show investigators to the body, but Baranec can’t find it.
Leona believes Noble is in the Mayfair, Sask. area and urges farmers to be on the lookout so she can bring her daughter home.
Baranec is currently serving a life sentence for a brutal murder in February 2007. Amanpreet Bahia was found stabbed, in a pool of blood with her one-year-old daughter crying next to her.
Baranec was hired as a hitman, by Bahia’s husband, to carry out the killing.
The Noble investigation helped police crack the Bahia case.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into a 'grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.