Murder trial set for November for inmates who escaped Victoria-area prison
The trial of two inmates who are accused of murdering a man while on the lam from federal prison near Victoria in 2019 is set to begin this fall in Vancouver.
Zachary Armitage and James Lee Busch are both charged with the first-degree murder of Martin Payne, a 60-year-old Metchosin, B.C., man who was found dead in his home near the prison in July 2019.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Oct. 6, with the trial set to commence in B.C. Supreme Court on Nov. 14, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.
Armitage and Busch escaped from William Head Institution on the evening of July 7, 2019, prompting a region-wide manhunt.
The pair were arrested approximately 48 hours later after commenting on a man's dog while walking together in Esquimalt, B.C., on July 9, 2019.
The dog walker, an off-duty RCMP homicide detective, recognized the men as the escaped prisoners and called Victoria police, who arrested them.
Earlier that afternoon, Payne's red Ford F-150 pickup truck was found abandoned on Woodburn Avenue in Oak Bay, B.C.
His body was discovered three days later on July 12, 2019, when police were sent to his Brookview Drive home – approximately seven kilometres from the prison – to check on him after he failed to show up for work.
Multiple police agencies, led by the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit, investigated Payne's death for nearly a year before announcing the charges against Armitage and Busch in June 2020.
"Marty was deeply loved by his tight circle of friends and family and we have continued to mourn his senseless loss every day for the past 11 months," the family said in its statement when the charges were announced.
"The man who was taken from us was an exceptionally gentle and caring human being whose love, support, and encouragement were unfailing," the family said.
Both Busch and Armitage were violent offenders at the time of their escape.
Busch, then 42 years old, was serving an indeterminate sentence for second-degree murder and assault, and was also serving time for aggravated sexual assault and escape from custody.
Armitage, who was 30 years old and had also previously escaped from custody, was serving a nearly 14-year sentence for robbery, aggravated assault and other offences.
The Correctional Service of Canada launched a review of every inmate in minimum-security custody across the country in the wake of the escape.
The review led the department to reclassify 14 minimum-security offenders and move them to medium-security prisons.
Nine of the 14 inmates who the correctional service found to be misclassified were at William Head, including Armitage and Busch.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.