Second degree murder
R. v. Christensen
- Below the Crown's ask
Sentence and the Crown's position
Crown askedLife, no parole for 15 years1
Judge imposedLife imprisonment, no parole for 13 and a half years1
550 days less parole ineligibility than the Crown asked
Both are life sentences, so the bars compare how long before parole can be considered.
What the law allows
MaximumLife imprisonment
Crown askedLife, no parole for 15 years
Judge imposedLife, no parole for 13 years and 6 months
Defence askedLife, no parole for 11 years
Harry Tyler Christensen pleaded guilty to the second degree murder of a man he shot twice from behind outside an apartment building in Chilliwack in 2018. The Crown sought parole ineligibility of 15 years; the defence sought 11 years. Justice Milman imposed the mandatory life sentence with no parole for 13 and a half years, weighing the planned, public shooting against the guilty plea and the offender's difficult upbringing.
In the judge's words
1All in all, I have concluded that the appropriate ineligibility period lies somewhere between the periods suggested by counsel, although closer to that urged by the Crown.
The record
- Convicted of
- Second degree murder (CC 231(7))
- Prior convictions
- Not recorded
- At the time of the offence
- Not stated1
- Defence asked for
- Life, no parole for 11 years1
- Mandatory minimum
- Applied1
- Appeal
- Not yet checked
- Counsel
- Crown: A.R. Burns, A.M. Carter
Defence: T. Salloum
Sources
- R. v. Christensen, 2025 BCSC 2353 Court decision, CanLII, November 25, 2025
[31] Crown counsel urges me to set the parole ineligibility period at 15 years, which is in the higher half of the range described by MacKenzie J.A., but at the low end of that higher half.
[32] Defence counsel urges me to set the ineligibility period at 11 years, relying on the following authorities:
In this case, the mandatory sentence I must impose is life imprisonment, as set out in s. 235 of the Criminal Code.
[1] Before the Court for sentencing is Harry Tyler Christensen.
[43] All in all, I have concluded that the appropriate ineligibility period lies somewhere between the periods suggested by counsel, although closer to that urged by the Crown.
[44] Mr. Christensen, please rise - I am sentencing you to imprisonment for life, with a period of 13 and a half years during which you will be ineligible for parole.
- R. v. Christensen, 2025 BCSC 2353 Court decision, Courts of British Columbia