The man convicted in the gruesome murder of two brothers from the South Okanagan has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 18 years.
A jury convicted Wade Cudmore, 35, of second-degree murder in September for killing Erick and Carlo Fryer and dumping their bodies in a remote area near Naramata in May 2021.
At trial, jurors heard Cudmore used a hunting knife, a roofing hammer and a pump-action shotgun in the killings. Their bodies were later discovered by a hiker.
Police said the killings were linked to a $236,000 drug deal.
Cudmore’s co-accused in the killings, Anthony Graham, remains at large.
Despite his conviction, Cudmore continued to maintain his innocence during a sentencing hearing on Monday.
“I’m sorry for the Fryer brothers being murdered and for their family but my story hasn’t changed,” he said.
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“I testified that I had nothing to do with the murders.”
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Brenda Brown rejected Cudmore’s claim.
“It is not plausible that Mr. Graham, acting alone, was able to overcome two young men, and kill them, using three different weapons,” she said.
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.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge in Vancouver accepted Crown’s submission, calling for the 18-year parole limitation. Cudmore’s defence had sought 12 years.
“I agree with the Crown’s submissions in this case that Mr. Cudmore’s moral culpability is high,” said Brown said.
“Two victims were attacked and killed in a brutal, gratuitously violent fashion.”
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