A B.C. Supreme Court judge in Prince George heard Friday, Jan. 10 that a dispute over allegedly stolen firearms spiralled out of control and led to the murder of a man in a Fort St. James trailer park almost three years ago.
Thomas Kaylan Frank Duncan, 32, maintained he was not guilty of the first degree murder of John Louis Lazarre and had elected for a trial by judge and jury. But he pleaded guilty to the lesser and included charge of second degree murder and will be sentenced at a date to be determined.
“The Crown evidence establishes the essential elements, the second degree murder of John Lazarre and that Thomas Duncan intentionally caused his death by shooting him in the head without justification on Feb. 25, 2022,” said Crown prosecutor Robert Climie, reading from the statement of facts that Duncan earlier signed.
Court heard that Lazarre, 36, and his wife, who was a cousin to Duncan, allowed Duncan in the summer of 2021 to reside in a cabin at Middle River while he recovered from drug addictions. But, in September of that year, firearms were stolen from the cabin and Lazarre believed Duncan to have been responsible.
During the next several months, Lazarre confronted Duncan about the firearms theft, causing Duncan to feel threatened.
At a Feb. 25, 2022 wake for Duncan’s sister, Lazarre spoke with Duncan. Before 11 p.m. that night, Lazarre and his wife were driven to a mobile home park in Fort St. James looking for Duncan, who they believed was visiting Trailer 18.
Lazarre and his wife entered the trailer at 11:10 p.m., confronted Duncan and threatened to return with a firearm. When they left, some of the trailer’s occupants packed up and exited. Duncan and two associates remained to prepare firearms for the couple’s return.
At 11:22 p.m., “Thomas Duncan climbed a ladder onto the roof of the trailer, carrying a .30-30, Winchester lever action rifle,” Climie said.
Seven minutes later, the Lazarres approached the trailer unarmed.
With his wife “slightly preceding him, John Lazarre walked towards the entrance to the trailer and was shot in the head by Thomas Duncan from the roof of the trailer with the .30-30 rifle.”
She turned to her fallen husband, tried to help him and eventually called 911.
Immediately after Duncan’s initial shot, the Lazarres’ driver returned fire into the front window of the trailer, using a shotgun he took from the Lazarres’ truck. Duncan and associates fled the scene, but police arrested them nearby.
Police found two spent shell casings on the roof of the trailer, the rifle, ammunition and clothing abandoned by Duncan. Climie said there was video surveillance footage from inside and outside the trailer, but it did not have an audio track.
A post mortem confirmed Lazarre died of a gunshot wound to the head.
North District Major Crime Unit officers arrested Duncan on April 25, 2023 and he was charged with the murder.
Justice Ronald Tindale confirmed with Duncan that he made the guilty plea voluntarily, admitted to the facts and gave up his right to a trial. Tindale also confirmed that Duncan knew he would be sentenced to mandatory life in prison with no parole for at least 10 years.
Tindale ordered pre-sentencing reports, including a psychiatric assessment and an analysis of the influence of Duncan’s Indigenous heritage. The next court date is April 7 to schedule a sentencing hearing.
A sheriff led Duncan, dressed in orange jail garb, out of the courtroom as a distraught woman sobbed in the gallery.
