A North Vancouver man who killed two people when he slammed into their motorcycle in a stolen car on Vancouver Island has been found guilty on all seven counts against him.
In an emotional scene in a Duncan Supreme Court Wednesday, jurors found Lucas Ian Brown guilty on two counts of criminal negligence causing death, failing to stop at an accident scene involving death, two counts of breaking and entering, possession of stolen property over $5,000, and possession of a stolen credit card in connection with a crime spree that ended tragically near the Malahat summit on Feb. 20, 2010.
Marta Ralph, 56, and Larry Machnee, 59, were killed when Brown struck them as he made an illegal turn across a double yellow line in a car he had stolen from a North Vancouver home earlier that day.
Machnee died at the scene while the critically injured Ralph was rushed to hospital, where she also died.
The verdict was welcomed by the victims' families.
"I was so relieved I was crying," said Ralph's sister, Coral Forslund, who was in court when the decision came down.
"Really, in amongst something horrible, it gave you some hope." Forslund said the verdict is an important marker in what has been an arduous process for the victims' loved ones.
"We're a large family - there are 11 children - we've relied on each other a lot," she said. "There's been ups and downs."
Witnesses to the crash said they saw the driver of the 2007 Honda get out uninjured, look at the accident scene and grab a jacket before running away down a steep embankment towards the water.
RCMP brought in a dog team, Canadian Coast Guard vessels and a helicopter but weren't able to find him.
Police eventually tracked Brown down at the Mill Bay ferry terminal almost 24 hours later thanks to tips from the public.
A North Vancouver homeowner had reported the Honda stolen a little before dawn on the day of the accident. The man said he heard his garage door open and came downstairs to find the vehicle - and the car keys that had been stowed on the ground floor of the house - gone.
Brown was captured on video surveillance driving through the toll booth at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver a couple of hours later, heading to Vancouver Island.
Motorists who were on highway that day testified they saw the Honda travelling at high speeds before the crash. One driver who was behind the motorcycle said he saw one person get out of the car and run away after the accident.
Prosecutors also pointed to DNA and belongings found in the car linking Brown to the collision.
Brown's defence lawyer suggested there is no direct evidence putting Brown in the driver's seat that day. Brown did not testify at the trial.
Forslund said she was relieved the defence's argument didn't fly. The family had been well served by the prosecutor, by the police, by witnesses at the trial and by the court system in general, she said.
Looking ahead to sentencing, slated for Oct. 17, Forslund said she wasn't worried.
"I have no attachment to how much time this guy gets," she said. "I just hope he stays in long enough to get some help and not hurt anyone else."
