Steven Bacon sentenced to life in prison for murder of Nanaimo teen Makayla Chang

Warning: This story contains graphic details

Steven Bacon, the man who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Nanaimo teen Makayla Chang in 2017, has received a life sentence.

The courtroom was emotional when his sentence was read on Friday. He will be ineligible for parole for 20 years.

A photo of Makayla Chang at a memorial for the slain teen. (CTV News)

"It’s been a long time coming, we’ve been waiting six years for this day," said Chang's father, Kerry Chang.

Chang was last seen outside a Nanaimo Tim Hortons in March 2017. She was 16 years old at the time of her disappearance.

Her body was found by police roughly two months later and her death was considered a homicide.

NEW DETAILS

Crying could be heard in the courtroom as Crown offered a submission of facts and disturbing details about Chang's death were presented.

It was heard that Bacon and Chang had an argument, which caused the man, who was 57 years old at the time, to push the teen back, causing her to hit her head.

Shortly after, he decided to choke Chang to death.

Bacon then enlisted the help of his landlord to transport Chang's body to a rural area near Nanaimo Lakes Road.

Once there, he buried her in a shallow grave. She was not wearing pants or shoes when her body was discovered.

An autopsy later determined that DNA linked to Bacon indicated that the pair had a sexual encounter earlier that day, which Bacon claims was consensual.

Bacon would go on to use Chang's cellphone after her murder to pretend to be her.

He eventually fled the island and crossed the country, changing his appearance.

He was initially arrested for first-degree murder in September 2020, after he was arrested in Thunder Bay, Ont., for an unrelated charge.

At the time, he pleaded not guilty to Chang's death, but in August 2022 he changed his plea to guilty of the lesser charge of second-degree murder.

"I wanted to be here to show her that, you know, people are here for her, we haven’t forgotten about her," said Chang's friend, Keanna Hoorn.

Chang's father minced no words, saying that Bacon "slaughtered" his daughter.

"You're a monster, you're a pedophile," he said. "I pray you suffer every day."

According to police, Bacon and Chang were considered friends at the time of her disappearance.