Jason Terrence Brewer has been sentenced to life in prison, with parole eligibility in 12 years, for the 2012 murder of Cole Manning.
The sentence was handed down Monday in Supreme Court in New Westminster.
In February, a Supreme Court judge found Brewer, of Langley, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Manning, 38, who was found dead in Brewer’s basement suite home on Dec. 31, 2012.
There was a 14-day trial that had several stops and starts over many months.
From the beginning of the trial, Brewer has admitted to killing Manning, but pleaded not guilty, taking the stand to say that his actions were self-defense. He said Manning, who was gay, made sexual advances on him and Brewer said he snapped, remembering being molested as a child.
During Brewer’s trial it was learned that Brewer, 24 at the time, met Manning at a recovery house in October. Manning had recently moved to B.C. from Alberta.
Manning had gone to Brewer’s house that evening and asked to stay the night. That’s where he was stabbed to death. His bloodied, naked body was found on Brewer’s bed.
Both men were naked at the time of the attack. Brewer stabbed Manning almost two dozen times before leaving the kitchen knife in his victim’s neck. He then fled his Willoughby basement suite and met with a longtime friend, confessing what he had done.
That friend called 911.
Toxicology reports showed Manning had no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his death. Brewer also sent out several text messages before his arrest, some to his girlfriend at the time.
But it took tracking Brewer’s cellphone for police to find him. They were able to track him down nearly eight hours after the murder.
Police from both Langley and Abbotsford initiated a short pursuit and had to box him in on 264 Street to make the arrest.
Previously, Brewer was convicted of deliberately driving into oncoming traffic in 2009, causing a horrific six-vehicle crash on Highway 10, which caused permanent and devastating injuries to a man and a woman.
At that time he was on probation for robbing the Langley Mac’s store. His mom posted bail but then revoked it after he assaulted her with a knife.
In the case of the head-on crash Brewer originally pleaded guilty because he said he was trying to commit suicide. He appealed to retract his guilty plea and won. However, a judge found him guilty anyway and sentenced him to prison for five years.
