Warning: This story contains graphic details that are not suitable for all readers
The Vancouver man convicted in the brutal killing of a Marpole couple had little to say on Thursday in his last chance to go on record before getting his sentence.
Rocky Rambo Wei Nam Kam was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for killing Diana Mah-Jones, 64, and her husband, Richard Jones in their home in September 2017.
“Any last words?” asked B.C. Supreme Court Justice Madam Justice Laura Gerow.
“I, um, no. I think I’m good, thanks,” replied Kam, who appeared by video link.
Kam’s first-degree murder conviction comes with a minimum sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Crown prosecutors want the sentence applied consecutively for each killing, amounting to at least 50 years behind bars.
During the trial, the court heard that Kam slashed Jones more than 100 times, and cut Mah-Jones throat before eating a peach and drinking some milk from the couple’s fridge, then leaving their home.
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Police described the crime scene as “catastrophic.”
On Thursday, Kam’s lawyer Glen Orris told the court the lower sentence of 25 years was more appropriate, as there was no guarantee the killer would be granted parole after that.
“There is no evidence that Kam is incapable of rehabilitation,” Orris told the court.
He added that the best way to protect society was to understand why Kam killed the couple, to prevent it from happening again.
That “why” remains a question that haunts Mah-Jones’ friends.
Police have suggested the answer may never be known.
Kam’s defence argued he was obsessed with video games and in a “gaming consciousness” at the time of the killings.
Kam himself admitted to the killings and described them in detail on the stand. However, he has never offered an explanation.
“I would love to know what was his motivation, we all would. I don’t think we’re going to get to know that,” Jan Kainer, a dance class friend of Mah-Jones told Global News.
“It was a random act,” suggested friend Zonna Downes.
“He thought maybe it would be wonderful to feel like — what’s it feel like to stab people, what does it feel like to be this person.”
Justice Gerow must now decide whether a half-century in prison with no chance of parole is warranted.
In doing so, she will need to consider whether the murders were exceptionally egregious, and whether the two murders were independent of one another — even though they occurred in the same home.
Court resumes Tuesday, when Justice Gerow is expected to return with a decision.
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