GUILTY Canada - Four people dead after a shooting spree, Penticton, B.C., Apr 2019 * Arrest*

[MistyWaters]

Life in prison, no parole before 25 years.....

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-brittain-b-c-penticton-guilty-plea-1.5763505

“Brittain, 69, has been in custody since he was 67, meaning he will be 92 by the time he is eligible for parole. He told the court before sentencing he understands he will likely die in prison.

.“Brittain addressed the victims' families in a tense sentencing hearing, apologizing for murdering their loved ones and "shattering" their lives.

"I am truly, truly sorry for what I have done," said Brittain, speaking haltingly from the prisoner's box. "I have disrupted so many lives."....

.....Brittain apologized first to his surviving former spouse before addressing the victims' families.

"To [my ex-wife], I want to apologize for this. She had no idea I would have done such a thing," he said, taking lengthy pauses between sentences.

"To the families, my next apologies — I am shattered and devastated for what I have done.".....

......He said he had a breakdown before the shooting, attributing his mental state to the recent separation from his wife and 20 years of being overworked and depressed.

He ended his statement with an apology to the police officers who had to respond to the grisly crime scenes......”

 

[Satchie]

I just want to say to this former couple, and anyone else like them: have you ever heard of marriage counselling, FFS?

I haven't seen any explanation about why he had multiple guns. He had no friends, so was unlikely to be a sports hunter. There's no reason for a retired engineer with episodes of severe depression and stress problems, to have guns. IMO he must have had fantasies that one day he'd get out his guns and shoot a bunch of people, although possibly he was so lacking in self awareness they were unconscious.

JMO.

 

[MistyWaters]

The actual motive for his killing spree is unknown but considering he didn’t turn his gun on himself, instead went directly to the police station to ensure he was immediately and peacefully arrested - then pled guilty instead of not guilty on the basis on his mental state - seems to me his goal might’ve been to spend the rest of his life in prison. If so he accomplished that.

Sounds a little crazy but if that was his desire, he need not have taken lives but as he had no prior criminal record, horrible as it may be, murder is one of the few crimes that would guarantee he’d be imprisoned. This man clearly had a few marbles loose.

This crime spree reminds me so much of the movie plot in the “The Mule” whereby the quality of life of the senior greatly improved after he was locked up in prison. Earlier he was about to lose his home and was a avid gardener. The movie ended with him happily tending the prison’s gardens, secure and safe.
The Mule (2018 film) - Wikipedia

Let's put seniors in jail, and criminals in nursing homes | Financial Post
A joke has circulated for a few years that life in a Canadian prison is far superior to that of low income seniors, particularly for those living in nursing homes. As for Brittain, why was he living like a pauper is something I question -

As police investigate Penticton’s mass shooting, those who knew suspect John Brittain grasp for answers
“He described Brittain as a good tenant who was easy to deal with. He said Brittain was “living thin,” sleeping on a cot in the apartment. There was just a single chair for sitting, not even a table, he said.

“He had very little stuff; he lived like a teenager moving away from home,” Friesen said. “He had a guitar, a bicycle, a keyboard.”..”