A 23-year-old man who was originally charged with first-degree murder in a high-profile kidnapping case in 2015 was sentenced to 14 years for manslaughter and seven years for unlawful confinement and extortion on Tuesday.
The sentences will be served concurrently minus time already served.
On Sept. 29, a body was found in a car in an area near Wellington Drive in North Vancouver. Police were responding to reports of an alleged kidnapping and eventually found the victim deceased.
Investigators at the time believed it was a targeted attack, and a source told Global News it was a kidnapping that went awry.
The victim, now identified as Peng Sun — a Chinese national studying in Canada — was being held for a $200,000 ransom but when the money was procured, it allegedly wasn’t enough. The source says he then tried to escape, but was killed in the process.
WATCH – Oct. 2015: Nadia Stewart has details from the courtroom
Tian Yi Eddie Zhang was charged with first-degree murder, along with kidnapping and indignity to a body. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter, unlawful confinement and extortion earlier this month.
In a joint submission, Crown and Defence asked for 14 years in jail for manslaughter for Zhang minus time served and seven years to be served concurrently for unlawful confinement and extortion.
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In court, Zhang delivered a statement through an interpreter, saying he is full of shame, regret and remorse.
Zhang is one of the four people who were originally implicated in the case.
Twenty-one-year-old Casey Hiscoe was also charged with kidnapping and indignity to a human body. Twenty-year-old Dyllan Green and 18-year-old Jacob Gorelik have been charged with indignity to a human body. Charges against Green and Gorelik have now been stayed.
Hiscoe was the only one of the four with any previous criminal history. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully confine and accessory after the fact to murder, but has not been sentenced yet.
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