Man found guilty in 2021 murder of longtime Vancouver park caretaker

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has convicted a man of second-degree murder in the killing of a longtime Vancouver park caretaker in 2021.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has convicted a man of second-degree murder in the 2021 slaying of a longtime caretaker of Kitsilano’s Tatlow Park.

Brent Stephen White, 54, showed no emotion as Justice Miriam Maisonville delivered her decision Friday.

Paramedics found 77-year-old Justis Daniel dead in his cottage on Dec. 10, 2021, after concerned friends asked for a wellness check because he hadn’t been seen or heard from.

White was arrested and charged in March of 2022.

“It felt really good,” Daniel’s close friend Andrew Brougham said of the verdict.

“It felt really nice watching that guy – I never say his name – stand up and walk away after the judge said what the judge said,” said Brougham.

Dr. Steven White, the forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy on Daniel’s deceased body for the B.C. Coroners Service, testified at the beginning of the trial that he identified at least 59 separate injuries on the victim.

He described stab wounds, slashes and blunt-force trauma – saying Daniel had several fractures in his face and a broken vertebrae in his neck, plus injuries to his torso.

Self-defence claims rejected

White testified that Daniel, whom he first met around 14 years ago, invited him into his cottage on Dec. 9.

He said the two were watching TV when Daniel bit his neck out of nowhere.

White said Daniel then picked a knife up off a table and swung it in his direction, grazing his cheek.

He said he had a knife of his own and stabbed Daniel in the neck in self-defence.

The blow, however, did not faze Daniel, according to White.

He said Daniel proceeded to throw several household items at him, before striking him in the face with a vacuum cleaner.

White said he was stabbing Daniel in response throughout the brawl, and that he was eventually able to wrestle him onto the couch before leaving the home, saying he “feared for his life.”

He said Daniel told him he was Iblis, the Islamic word for the devil.

White’s testimony sparked concerns from the Crown and the court over his mental well-being – however, White did not pursue a defence of not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.

Maisonville ultimately rejected White’s claims.

“I find beyond a reasonable doubt that the actions of Mr. White were not reasonable in the circumstances and were not motivated by a desire for self protection,” she said.

Maisonville also pointed out that Daniel had prostate cancer and was very frail at the time, weighing just 139 pounds.

Brougham says while it angered him listening to White’s testimony during the trial, it was a relief to know that Maisonville didn’t buy it.

“Justis was such a beautiful man that did not have any anger in his heart,” he said.

A second-degree murder conviction comes with an automatic life sentence, the question will be how many years White will spend behind bars before he’s eligible for parole. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, the range is 10 to 25 years.

White will be back in court to set a date for sentencing next Wednesday.