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Life sentence for Shane Gyoba for 2014 murder

Ashcroft resident Shane Gyoba will be ineligible to apply for parole for ten years under a sentence imposed on November 28.
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Former Ashcroft resident Shane Gyoba was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years for the 2014 murder of his uncle

Shane Gyoba—who in June 2016 was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his uncle Ed Gyoba in Ashcroft in June 2014—has been sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 10 years.

The sentence was handed down on November 28, with B.C. Supreme Court Justice Dev Dley calling the murder “a savage and brutal attack”. When announcing the sentence, Dley also made plain the fact that Shane Gyoba may never leave prison.

“It’s impossible to get a precise timeline of the recovery, particularly when there have been no positive steps taken by the offender,” Dley said. He stated that there is no way to know if Shane Gyoba, aged 30, will ever be safe to release.

On June 2, 2014 Shane beat his uncle Ed to death with a shovel in the front yard of Ed Gyoba’s Ashcroft home. He then tried to bury his uncle to cover up the evidence.

The minimum sentence for second-degree murder is life in prison, with no chance for parole for 10 years. The Parole Board of Canada determines whether or not parole is granted, and Dley said that safety and security of the public is the main consideration when parole is considered.

Dley said that Shane Gyoba’s serious mental health issues—which lessen his moral blameworthiness—resulted in him being given the minimum amount of time required before being able to apply for parole.

Despite these mental health issues, however, it was determined that Shane Gyoba was able to understand that his actions would lead to his uncle’s death, and that he was capable of distinguishing that what he did was morally wrong.

Gyoba’s trial was marked by frequent outbursts, threats, and incoherent ramblings, which continued during his sentencing hearing on November 28.