A man that previously pled guilty to manslaughter for his role in the death of his roommate was given a sentence of nine and a half years in Kelowna court on July 26.
Lorence Williams was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after his roommate Thomas Chadwick, was found dead outside of their home on May 30, 2021.
According to evidence presented during Williams' murder trial, Chadwick had been found in a pool of blood after being bludgeoned to death by a wooden stick.
However, 15 days into what was scheduled to be a 45 day murder trial, Williams entered a surprise guilty plea for the lesser charge of manslaughter and the 12 person jury was dismissed until sentencing.
During the 15 days of the trial, recorded police interviews from when Williams was in custody after his arrest were played for the court.
“I am not saying what I did was right, but there is a story to it,” said Williams in the recording when asked about Chadwick’s death.
“I need to face my consequences, I know the crime I’ve done.”
At one point in the recordings, Williams asked the officers interrogating him if they understood witchcraft or sorcery.
Prior to William's guilty plea, the court also heard evidence given by witness Colonel Fisher, who was Williams’ landlord and housemate, that the accused may have been engaging in “evil voodoo.”
Fisher said he and others had been worried about Williams' mental well-being in the days ahead of Chadwick's death and had noticed that the accused was engaging in what he considered to be voodoo.
Tensions in the home began to rise when Williams was asked to move out of the residence on Sexsmith Road. Police became involved on more than one occasion to help resolve conflicts in the house and assess Williams' well-being.
After Chadwick's death, the B.C.’s police watchdog was called in to investigate the Kelowna RCMP, and whether their actions or lack thereof, in relation to Williams’ mental wellbeing, contributed to Chadwick’s death. The police were subsequently cleared of wrongdoing.
Williams has spent the last three years and two months in pre-sentence custody, and was given credit of four years and nine months. He will serve an additional four years in prison for the conviction of manslaughter. The court also ordered a 10-year firearms prohibition.
