The Edmonton man who shot and killed three armoured guards and critically injured another last June was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 40 years on Wednesday.
Travis Baumgartner, 22, is the first Canadian to ever receive this long of a sentence.
In sentencing, Justice John Rooke used a federal law passed in 2011 that allows consecutive parole terms in cases involving multiple murders. This case applies.
Baumgartner pleaded guilty in court in Alberta on Monday.
He shot four of his co-workers who were putting cash into an ATM machine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton on June 15, 2012. He was arrested two days later, trying to cross the border at Aldergrove.
Baumgartner was initially charged with three counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder and four counts of robbery with a firearm. He pleaded guilty to one count of first degree murder, two counts of second degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
An intensive manhunt was underway in Edmonton after the shootings. Police announced that he was the prime suspect in the murders.
The murders took place early on a Friday morning, and Baumgartner drove to B.C. and was arrested on Saturday evening after attempting to cross the border into the U.S. at the Aldergrove/Lynden crossing.
He was initially taken into custody by Langley RCMP, before being moved to Alberta. Edmonton Police arrived in Langley to do a thorough search of Baumgartner’s truck and to interview him.
Baumgartner apparently had $330,000 cash with him when he was arrested.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection were alerted to Baumgartner when the licence plate reader found that the plate on his truck, which was his mother’s plate, didn’t match the truck ownership.
