KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK TUESDAY
LOCAL NEWS
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JULY 12, 2016 | Volume 29 No. 83
AN ANNIVERSARY TO REMEMBER The 419 Moose Squadron was in town for the weekend — and KTW was there
TODAY’S WEATHER
Showers High 26 C Low 14 C
A14
KamCan seeks city council support for medical-pot facility The proponents of a proposed medical-marijuana production facility in Kamloops are asking for city council’s support as the they seek final approval from Health Canada. KamCan Products Inc. has already received rezoning approval from the city for its grow-op building at 8170 Dallas Dr. Dr. Robert Brownlee of KamCan Products, in a letter to council that will be presented at today’s meeting at city hall, said the facility will employ between five and 10 people and “will provide a safe, reliable source of medical marijuana for those who have appropriate health conditions. “Marijuana is a viable alternative to narcotics and illicit drugs and should reduce the number of drugrelated deaths in our community,” Brownlee said in the letter. He said the facility will include a laboratory for measuring the constituents of marijuana and for the extraction from raw plant material into oils that can be used in various ways medically. Along with seeking council’s support via a letter, the company is also inviting council to tour the Dallas facility, the interior of which, Brownlee said, will be completed upon Health Canada approval to proceed. Brownlee, a Kamloops neurosurgeon, and his partners in KamCan Products applied to Health Canada in 2013. In October, Brownlee told KTW KamCan hopes to sell medical marijuana within the region, rather than nationwide. He also sees the business as a chance to conduct research on the drug’s effects. COACH ✹ D&G ✹ BEBE
CHRISTOPHER BUTLER SENTENCING HEARING
Father of murder victim: ‘We miss her closeness, her love, her smile’ CAM FORTEMS STAFF REPORTER cam@kamloopsthisweek.com
Deanne Wheeler’s father told a B.C. Supreme Court hearing her murderer took a young life and left behind a family crushed with grief. Christopher Butler, 42, has pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-girlfriend in his Cherry Avenue apartment on Dec. 20, 2014. During a sentencing hearing yesterday, Crown asked for a minimum of 12 to 14 years before parole eligibility, while defence argued for 10 to 12 years before parole in what is a life sentence for second-degree murder. “She bought her friends birthday presents, Christmas presents, cared for people, had an unmistakable laughter, loved life, liked her hot chocolate, tea, yogurt, movies, loved music, loved her cat, loved her friends, loved life and wouldn’t hurt anyone,” her father, Elwin, told the court. “We miss her closeness, her love, her smile.” Elwin faced the loss of his daughter alone, court heard.
Her mother was hospitalized for 18 months, unable to cope with Deanne’s death. Deanne was the couple’s only child. Butler’s appearances in court have been frequently accompanied by bizarre ramblings. After killing Wheeler, 26, he told police she was “a demon.” He admitted to strangling her with an electrical cord, hitting her in the head with a rock and stabbing her seven times. Butler invited her to his apartment and she brought him a coffee. “When it entered my apartment, I set down the coffee it had brought,” Butler told police, referring to Deanne as a demon. “We went forward into the living room. It turned around and said, ‘You will no longer call me Satan,’ and its eyes went huge and black . . . I feared for my life and said, ‘Die, demon, die.’” Speaking to the court, breaking up at times, Elwin said: “If anyone is a demon, it’s Chris Butler. “If I hate anyone in this world, it’s Chris Butler — that man right there.” Butler then interjected in a flat tone, say-
ing, “I’d like to apologize for my actions.” Crown prosecutor Alexandra Janse highlighted Butler’s jealous behaviour and stalking in the weeks before Wheeler’s death, including threats to kill her new boyfriend. Butler was referred in 2015 by the court for an assessment to determine whether he was not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder. A psychiatrist found that, while he has bipolar disorder and narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders, he appreciated his actions caused the death of a person. Defence lawyer Jay Michi highlighted Butler’s mental problems, saying his mental health rapidly decayed in December 2014. He had been under treatment by professionals, but had mixed success staying on medication and away from drugs and alcohol. He has a long and violent criminal record, but did manage a stable life for 10 years in Ontario, where he ran a business and was a father to two children. Justice Keith Bracken is scheduled to render his decision July 25.
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Deanne Wheeler was 26 when she was killed by ex-boyfriend Christopher Butler on Dec. 30, 2014.