The three men charged with the murder of 19-year-old Nicholas Hannon were sentenced to life without the chance of parole for 18 years in Supreme Court Monday afternoon.
Brad Flaherty, 20; Keith Tankard, 20; and Connor Campbell, 21, entered guilty pleas to second-degree murder of their former friend. The three accused were 19 at the time of the offence.
“There is no way to describe how the act of homicide changes the lives of those involved and, while the family of Nicholas are thankful for today’s sentence, they recognize that it won’t bring him back,” Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said in a statement.
Although the three were initially charged with first-degree murder, the Crown said they accepted the plea because the sentence “reflects the gravity of the offence, denounces the unlawful conduct and tragic consequences of the actions of the three accused while recognizing the youth of the accused, their lack of criminal history and their acceptance of responsibility through their guilty plea.”
Hannon was reported missing on Feb. 27, 2014 after police found his vehicle abandoned at the dead end of McKinnon Crescent in Langley. He had last been seen by his younger brother on Feb. 26, 2014.
His family offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the whereabouts of their missing son.
Despite numerous searches and tips from the public, IHIT took over the case in August 2014.
Hannon’s body was eventually found in a heavily wooded area in the Morris Valley area of Mission, 19 months after he went missing and just weeks shy of his 20th birthday.
After a lengthy and intense investigation, IHIT had enough evidence to charge the three men.
One of the men, Campbell, is the son of former RCMP Spokesperson Corporal Catherine Galliford, and his father is a member of the RCMP, Sergeant Major Darren Campbell.
Galliford was the RCMP media liaison for high-profile cases including the Pickton murder investigation. In 2012, she filed a lawsuit against the RCMP claiming she suffered years of sexual harassment while on the force.
READ MORE: Bail hearing pushed to November for 3 men charged in death of Nicholas Hannon
At the time of the trio’s arrest, Hannon’s father, Craig, said the three men were friends of his son and had been welcomed into the family home many times before. He said the family was devastated and they feel betrayed by the three accused.
“Nicholas James Hannon was a great son,” Craig said. “He had a smile that would light up a room.”
~ with files from Amy Judd and Yuliya Talmazan
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