The Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed the sentence appeal on Thursday of a man convicted of killing two Edmonton-area seniors.
Travis Vader was convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of St. Albert couple Lyle and Marie McCann, and was trying to appeal for a reduced sentence.
The couple, in their late 70s, vanished after leaving their home in St. Albert — a bedroom community directly north of Edmonton — in July 2010.
READ MORE: The McCann murders and other cases without bodies
They were headed on a road trip to British Columbia and had planned to meet up with family.
Their burned-out motorhome and a vehicle they had been towing were discovered days later near Edson, about 200 kilometres west of the city.
Their bodies have never been found and it’s not known how the couple was killed.
A trial judge determined Vader was a desperate drug addict who came across the McCanns and killed them during a robbery.
READ MORE: A look back at the case against Travis Vader ahead of verdict
The Appeal Court said in its decision Thursday that a maximum life sentence is justified when an offender is dangerous and likely to offend again in a serious way.
“The sentencing judge found the appellant was dangerous and a threat to anyone who might cross his path. Until his offence pattern is broken, the public is not safe,” said the decision.
“This conclusion, when combined with the egregious circumstances of the offences perpetrated on the two victims, supports the imposition of a life sentence.”
In 2017, Vader received a life sentence with no chance at parole for seven years.
The Appeal Court already turned down Vader’s request for a new trial or for his charges to be stayed.
The Supreme Court of Canada last week refused to hear Vader’s appeal of that decision.
READ MORE: Travis Vader ‘needs to accept his sentence’ as SCOC refuses to hear appeal: Bret McCann
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