Travis Vader finds out today whether he’ll serve more prison time after being convicted of two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of St. Albert, Alta., couple Lyle and Marie McCann, who disappeared in 2010.
The defence is asking for four to six years, or essentially time served, while the Crown wants him imprisoned for life.
Vader, 44, is the only person charged in the deaths of the McCanns, who were beginning a road trip to B.C. when they disappeared after stopping at a gas station in St. Albert.
Both in their 70s, the couple was last seen alive on July 3, 2010 and their bodies have never been found. Their burnt-out RV was found two days later at a campsite near Edson, Alta.
A billboard along the Yellowhead Highway near Edmonton asked for help in locating Lyle and Marie McCann. Their bodies have never been found.
Vader, 44, has denied killing the couple. During a sentencing hearing in December, he argued his rights were violated while in custody. He also alleged the RCMP used excessive force while arresting him and that he had been beaten up by guards at the Edmonton Remand Centre.
Defence lawyers have asked Edmonton Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Denny Thomas to sentence their client to four to six years in prison, which would essentially amount to time served. If the defence gets its way, Vader could be released from custody.
Crown prosecutor Ashley Finlayson is asking for a life sentence.
Vader was originally convicted of second-degree murder. But when it was discovered Thomas had relied on a section of the Criminal Code that had been ruled unconstitutional, Thomas downgraded the convictions to manslaughter.
During the sentencing hearing, the defence suggested the McCanns could have been accidentally killed, a theory Thomas ruled out.
“How do you accidentally kill two old people? ” Thomas asked in court. “You could accidentally kill one, but not two.”
Thomas has said Vader will be given a chance to speak in court before the sentence is read out.
The McCanns’ son, Bret McCann, will be watching the sentencing via a video link from Australia.