A Langley man who confessed to killing three members of his family will face a judge on Friday morning in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.

A sentencing hearing for Kia Ebrahimian is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Dec. 16.

Ebrahimian killed his mother Tatiana Bazyar, his brother Befrin Ebrahimian, and his step-father Francesco Zangrilli in their house on Wakefield Drive in the Langley Meadows neighbourhood. Ebrahimian was found in the backyard by first responders as the house went up in flames on June 13, 2020.

After being held in custody for two years, Ebrahimian’s trial began in September.

The murders appear to have been sparked by a conflict between Ebrahimian and Befrin, who was a transgender man who had completed gender reassignment surgery, according to Crown prosecutor Michael Fortino.

Ebrahimian and his brother had been clashing since Ebrahimian had moved back into the house in the spring of 2020.

On the first day of the trial, Fortino said that there had been multiple calls to the Langley RCMP by Zangrilli over Ebrahimian’s behaviour before the killings.

Zangrilli was on the phone with police the afternoon of June 13, having called the non-emergency line, when screaming was heard in the background and a fire alarm went off.

At issue in the trial was whether Ebrahimian was a “rational actor, who was able to form the intent of murder,” Fortino said.

But on Oct. 3, Ebrahimian changed his plea to guilty of three counts of second degree murder.

Having pleaded guilty to second degree murder, Ebrahimian will automatically receive a life sentence in prison. The only issue is when he can first apply for parole. In second degree murder cases, judges can set parole eligibility as low as ten years, or as high as 25 years.

Parole eligibility does not mean automatic release from prison.

READ MORE: Langley triple murder trial opens with playback of call to police

READ MORE: Killer changes plea to guilty in triple murder of Langley family

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