Conspiracy to commit murder
R. v. Johnson-Audain
Sentence and the Crown's position
What the law allows
Nathan Rashawn Johnson-Audain pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit a murder in Surrey in April 2023, during which he carried a loaded handgun and crashed a stolen vehicle into a car he mistakenly believed the target was driving, injuring the driver. The Crown and defence jointly proposed six years' imprisonment. Justice Devlin accepted the joint submission and imposed six years, less 1,047 days' credit for pre-sentence custody, noting his youth, guilty plea, lack of a record and the systemic disadvantage he had experienced.
In the judge's words
1Offending of this sort calls for a primary focus on denunciation and deterrence, and must be strongly condemned: Belcourt at para. 24. Murders-for-hire pose a severe danger to the fabric of our society
The record
- Convicted of
- Conspiracy to commit murder (CC 465(1)(a))
- Prior convictions
- 0 prior convictions1
- At the time of the offence
- Not stated1
- Defence asked for
- 6 years in custody1
- Appeal
- Not yet checked
- Counsel
- Crown: M. Bussanich and A. Sahota
Defence: M. Swartz
Sources
- R. v. Johnson-Audain, 2025 BCSC 539 Court decision, CanLII, March 21, 2025
[18] The Crown and counsel for Mr. Johnson-Audain jointly submit that an appropriate sentence for Mr. Johnson-Audain is six years' imprisonment, less credit for the time he has served in pre-trial custody.
[18] The Crown and counsel for Mr. Johnson-Audain jointly submit that an appropriate sentence for Mr. Johnson-Audain is six years' imprisonment, less credit for the time he has served in pre-trial custody.
[1] Nathan Rashawn Johnson-Audain is before the Court for sentencing following his guilty plea on January 15, 2025, to conspiring to commit the murder of … contrary to s. 465(1)(a) of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46 [Code].
[10] Mr. Johnson-Audain is 22 years old. He was 20 at the time of the offence. He has no prior criminal record.
[25] Offending of this sort calls for a primary focus on denunciation and deterrence, and must be strongly condemned: Belcourt at para. 24. Murders-for-hire pose a severe danger to the fabric of our society
[31] Mr. Johnson-Audain, please stand. For the offence of conspiring to commit the murder of … I sentence you to six years' imprisonment. … [33] I must now factor into this sentence the credit that Mr. Johnson-Audain must receive for his pre-trial detention. As of today, Mr. Johnson-Audain has spent 698 days in pre-trial custody, since his arrest on April 24, 2023. Thus, at a rate of 1.5:1, he is entitled to a credit of 1,047 days.
- Criminal Code, s. 465 Record, Justice Laws Website
- R. v. Johnson-Audain, 2025 BCSC 539 Court decision, Courts of British Columbia