GUILTY Canada - Nicholas Hannon, 19, Langley, BC, 24 Feb 2014

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Former friends of Nicholas Hannon sentenced to life in prison for his murder

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nicholas-hannon-killers-second-degree-murder-1.3948306

Three young men charged with killing 19-year-old Nicholas Hannon have all been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of their former long-time friend.

Bradley Michael Flaherty, 20, Keith William Tankard, 20, and Connor Angus Campbell, 21, won't be able eligible to apply for parole until they have served 18 years.

Craig Hannon, the victim's father, said the sentencing, although helpful in achieving some closure, was difficult because all four boys had been close at one time.

"They grew up together. I coached them in hockey and they've been in my home many times, so it's senseless," he said outside of court. "It makes you just look skyward and wonder why? How they could come to do that?"

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/01/23/three-men-guilty-in-bc-teens-murder-sentenced-to-life

Court heard that the three offenders, who had attended high school with Hannon and in varying degrees had been friends with him, felt threatened by the victim, who had been dealing drugs with Tankard prior to the slaying.

Tankard wanted to withdraw from his drug dealing but was afraid to do so and approached Campbell and Flaherty for their assistance, and this was the origin of the murder plot, according to an agreed statement of facts read out in court by Crown counsel Bob Wright.

"The offence here was caused by a number of factors including immaturity, fear of Hannon, anger towards Hannon and drug use," Wright told B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen.

On the day of the murder, Tankard lured Hannon to his home, where the three accused were waiting for him.

Tankard attempted to Taser the victim and Flaherty choked him from behind. Campbell and Tankard applied zap straps to his arms, legs and neck and Tankard put duct tape over the victim's mouth and face.

Hannon was choked by Flaherty before being strangled as Campbell tightened the zap straps around his neck and he was suffocated to death.

The three teens wrapped the victim's body in a tarp, placed it in the van and drove to the grave site. After they carried Hannon's body to the grave, Campbell used the shotgun to shoot the deceased victim in the head.

The teens burned and buried the victim's body and changed into a spare set of clothing before burning their other clothes. They drove back to the Langley area and the next day burned the van.