Travis Vader was found guilty of second-degree murder Thursday in the deaths of Alberta couple Lyle and Marie McCann. The St. Albert couple disappeared without a trace more than six years ago while on a road trip to British Columbia.
Judge Denny Thomas’ verdict was livestreamed online and broadcast on television from an Edmonton court room, a first in Alberta’s history.
Watch below: It was a first for Alberta. On Thursday, Justice Denny Thomas’ verdict in the Travis Vader double-murder trial was broadcast live. Gord Steinke spoke with Allan Wachowich about it after. Wachowich is the retired chief justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta.
READ MORE: Alberta judge allows camera in court for Travis Vader verdict
The Crown had argued that Vader, who pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, was a crystal meth addict living in a makeshift camp when he came across the McCanns and killed them during a robbery.
Thomas read from a summary of his 131-page ruling, in which he accepted much of the evidence presented by the Crown. However, he said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that Vader killed the elderly couple “in a planned and deliberate manner.”
“The killing of the McCanns was not a first-degree murder,” Thomas said. “It is therefore a second-degree murder.”
Watch the full verdict above.
READ MORE: Travis Vader trial – A look at the rare times cameras have been allowed in Canadian courtrooms
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