No parole eligibility for 12 years for Vancouver park caretaker’s killer

The man convicted in a gruesome killing that shocked Kitsilano’s community ore than three years ago learned his fate in a B.C. court.

The man who murdered Vancouver park caretaker Justis Daniel has been sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 12 years.

Brent Steven White was handed his sentence Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court, along with a 10-year firearms ban and an order to provide a DNA sample to law enforcement.

Justice Miriam Maisonville found the 55-year-old guilty of second-degree murder in May.

The victim served as caretaker at Tatlow Park, where he lived in a small cottage until he was violently attacked on Dec. 9, 2021.

Daniel was 77.

The court heard he had invited White into his home for a visit, and that his guest attacked him with a knife, leaving him with 50 stab and slash wounds. Daniel also suffered several fractures in his face and a broken vertebrae.

White claimed Daniel had attacked him first, and that he was acting in self defence.

The judge didn’t believe him, however, noting that Daniel was battling cancer at the time, and weighed just 139 pounds.

There were emotional moments in the courtroom last Friday as victim impact statements were read during a sentencing hearing for White.

The victim’s son Amaris Daniel, who appeared by video link, described his father as a generous man who “welcomed many in need into his home.”

“I’m haunted by the fact that his kindness was betrayed in such a devastating way,” he said.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ben Miljure