A B.C. Supreme Court jury found James Lee Busch guilty of first-degree murder late Wednesday.
At his sentencing hearing today, Justice David Crossin called the killing cold-blooded and unspeakable, and sentenced Busch to life, without chance of parole for 25 years.
Payne, who was 60, was murdered on July 8, 2019, a day after Busch and Zachary Armitage walked away from the minimum-security William Head prison, located eight kilometres from the victim’s home in Metchosin, west of Victoria.
His daughter, Calla Payne, told the sentencing hearing that her dad was a constant source of love and support, and the decisions made by the two selfish, reckless men took that away from her.
Both men pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder as the trial began on Nov. 14, but Armitage entered a guilty plea two weeks later without the jury present, and the trial continued for Busch.
