Life sentence in Fort St. James murder
A man who admitted to a 2022 Fort St. James murder has been sentenced to life in prison. Thomas Duncan, now 33, pleaded guilty to second‑degree murder in the death of 36‑year‑old John Lazarre.
RCMP officers found Lazarre dead on Feb. 25, 2022, after responding to a shots‑fired call on Spruce Road in the northern B.C. community, about 100 kilometres northwest of Prince George.
Details of the Fort St. James murder sentence
On Dec. 3, a judge sentenced Duncan to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years for the Fort St. James murder. In Canada, life in prison is automatic for any murder conviction; judges then decide when parole eligibility starts.
For second‑degree murder, the parole ineligibility period can range from 10 to 25 years, and the court in this case set the minimum 10‑year mark before Duncan can apply for supervised release.
What the ruling means
The Fort St. James murder sentence means Duncan will remain behind bars for at least a decade before a parole board even considers whether he can safely return to the community. Even after that point, life sentences in Canada include lifelong supervision and the possibility of being returned to custody if conditions are breached.
For residents of Fort St. James and the victim’s family, the sentence closes the criminal case nearly three years after Lazarre’s killing but does not end the impact of the violence on the small community.
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