A Terrace man who killed his pregnant teenaged girlfriend while visiting Kamloops in 2012 will learn his fate in the New Year.
In October, a jury spent just five hours deliberating before finding Damien Taylor guilty of second-degree murder in connection to the death of CJ Fowler, his 16-year-old girlfriend.
At trial, court heard the pair was visiting friends in Kamloops in December 2012. The trial heard that Taylor, then 21, and Fowler were inseparable.
Hours before Fowler’s death, the couple found out she was pregnant.
Fowler’s body, with a concrete chunk on her chest, was found by a person walking their dog in Guerin Creek on Dec. 5, 2012.
A pathologist testified she choked to death when her tongue became trapped in her airway, the result of at least one blow to her head and face.
At trial, defence lawyer Don Campbell tried unsuccessfully to convince jurors Taylor was in the midst of a crystal meth-induced psychosis at the time of the murder. He said there was no motive for the killing and the couple was a loving one.
During a brief hearing Dec. 9, Campbell said there are still a couple of issues to be ironed out prior to sentencing.
“We’re going to discuss the parameters of the facts on which we’re going to determine sentence,” he said. “It seems clear from the jury’s verdict that Mr. Taylor committed the physical act. It becomes a little more complex when we discuss mitigating factors. The jury’s verdict made it clear he was not affected by intoxicants when it came to him forming the physical intent.”
Aggravating factors at sentencing will likely include Fowler’s young age, her vulnerability and the fact she was pregnant.
Sentencing will take place during the week of Feb. 15.
A conviction of second-degree murder carries with it an automatic life sentence, with parole eligibility between 10 and 25 years to be set by the sentencing judge.
With files from Kamloops This Week.
