More than five years after Kathleen Richardson was killed in her Naramata, B.C., home, one of the two men responsible for her death has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
With 204 days credited for time already served, 27-year-old Ekene Anigbo has 14 years and 161 days remaining on his sentence.
For Julie Robertson, who remembers Richardson as a kind, generous and deeply involved member of the community, the sentencing marks the end of a long and painful chapter.
“She was so kind, she was so giving, she was a huge member of our community,” a tearful Robertson said outside the Kelowna courthouse.
Richardson was 57 when she was killed on June 9, 2021.
Court heard that Anigbo and Jalen Falk broke into her home looking for her son, Wade Cudmore, in gang-related retaliation connected to the killings of brothers Erick and Carlo Fryer the previous month.
Richardson was confronted, restrained and bound with duct tape and zip ties before being shot twice in the face.
In sentencing Anigbo, Justice Allison Beames called Richardson’s killing senseless, describing how both men participated in confronting and confining her before wrapping multiple layers of duct tape around her head and covering her eyes.
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The judge said Richardson was in an “obviously extremely vulnerable position” when she was shot twice in the face, killing her instantaneously or near instantaneously.
Anigbo was originally charged with first-degree murder. But following a lengthy trial earlier this year, he was convicted of manslaughter after the judge found the Crown had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt which of the two men fired the fatal shots.
The Crown had sought a life sentence, while the defence argued for a term of 12 to 14 years.
Anigbo’s parole eligibility will be determined by the Parole Board of Canada.
Under federal rules, most offenders become eligible to apply for full parole after serving one-third of their sentence or seven years, whichever is less.
Falk, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving a life sentence, with no possibility of parole for 16 years.
Robertson says she had hoped the sentencing would bring some closure for those who have spent years waiting for answers.
“For me to be here today was like, this is the end. The trials are done,” Roberston said.
Robertson says she often thinks about Richardson, and believes her son, who remains behind bars for the Fryer brothers’ murders, likely does too.
“His actions caused this and that’s something that he has to live with for the rest of his life, and that has got to be heavy.”
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