All three men involved in the 2017 killing of Michael Bonin in Hope, B.C., have now pleaded guilty to their part in the violent crime.
The final piece in the long, often delayed, legal process fell into place Aug. 31, when Ryan Watt pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, minus time served, B.C.’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a press release.
Watt was the last to enter a plea. Before him, on May 3, 2021, Joshua Fleurant entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with a 20-year parole ineligibility.
Then on June 24, 2021, Jared Jorgenson plead guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 252 days in jail and three years probation.
“This was an intricate case and we’re happy to see these men being held accountable for this horrible crime,” Sgt. Timothy Pierotti of IHIT said in a press release.
“I’m proud of the work of the investigating team and their dedication to bringing justice for Mr. Bonin and his family.”
The body of Bonin, who was 20 at the time of his murder, was found on a forest service road north of Hope in 2017. After an investigation led by IHIT, the three men were simultaneously arrested Jan. 12, 2018, in Surrey, Prince George and Dawson Creek.
The three men involved in his death were all known to police, also.