Emergency response officers enter a residence in Moncton, N.B., on Thursday, June 5, 2014. Three RCMP officers were killed and two injured by a gunman wearing military camouflage and wielding two guns on Wednesday. Police have identified a suspect as 24-year-old Justin Bourque of Moncton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
FREDERICTON – A court has reduced the precedent-setting sentence of a New Brunswick man who fatally shot three Mounties in 2014.
Justin Bourque had been sentenced to serve three consecutive life sentences for first-degree murder, meaning a 75-year wait before he could apply for parole.
A Supreme Court of Canada decision last year involving the Quebec City mosque murderer struck down a law that made it possible for judges to extend parole ineligibility periods beyond 25 years for people convicted of multiple murders.
Today’s decision from the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick means Bourque, who was 24 at the time of the murders, will be eligible to apply for parole after serving 25 years.
The Court of Appeal says the Supreme Court ruling is “binding on us” and governs the outcome of Bourque’s appeal.
It adds that all other aspects of his sentence remain unchanged.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2023.
