Sentencing hearing begins for man convicted in gruesome Okanagan double murder

A sentencing hearing is underway for a man convicted of second-degree murder in the deaths of two brothers in B.C.’s South Okanagan.

A B.C. Supreme Court room heard emotional victim impact statements from the brothers’ family on Monday, as their killer continued to maintain his innocence.

A hiker found Erick and Carlo Fryer dead in a remote area near Naramata in May 2021.

Wade Cudmore, 35, was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder, but a jury convicted him of the lesser offence of second-degree murder in September.

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At trial, jurors heard Cudmore used a hunting knife, a roofing hammer and a pump action shotgun in the killings.

On Monday, the brothers’ mother broke into tears as she told the court their deaths had torn her heart into a million pieces.

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Cudmore kept his eyes downcast as CJ Fryer, the victims’ sister, delivered a statement of her own.

“I do keep hate for you in my heart, and that does not make me meek or give you power … I’m here to speak for their justice,” she told the court.

The court had previously heard how the brothers’ bodies, chopped, stabbed and shot multiple times, were dragged into a steep ravine near a forest road, where their remains were ultimately found.

The trial heard the killings were linked to a drug deal worth more than $236,000. DNA belonging to Cudmore, who was on bail at the time of the murders, was found on a hammer.

His co-accused in the killing, Anthony Graham, remains on the run.

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Second-degree murder carries an automatic sentence of life in prison under the Criminal Code, with no chance of parole for between 10 and 25 years.

The Crown is seeking no parole for at least 18 years, while Cudmore’s defence argued for 12 years.

Cudmore’s grandmother was also in the courtroom Monday to show her support as his legal team made a case for rehabilitation.

In a rare scene during a murder case, Cudmore addressed the court at the hearing.

“I’m sorry for the Fryer brothers being murdered and for their family but my story hasn’t changed,” he said.

“I testified that I had nothing to do with the murders … we both have lost people due to this incident.”

Cudmore’s own mother was found dead in her Naramata home a month after the Fryer brothers were killed.

Murder charges have been laid in that case.

A decision on Cudmore’s sentence is expected by Tuesday afternoon.

With files from Rumina Daya