Man gets life in prison for killing Vancouver woman
Last Updated: Friday, October 26, 2007 | 9:26 PM PT
CBC News
A man who murdered a Vancouver woman in January 2006 has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Vancouver police said Steve Vezina, 31, formerly of Quebec, pleaded guilty on Friday to the first-degree murder of Tracey Guthrie, 39, and was subsequently sentenced.
A massive billboard was rented to appeal for witnesses to the killing of Tracey Guthrie.
(CBC)
Guthrie wandered away from Vancouver General Hospital wearing only scrubs, a T-shirt and socks. The woman was being treated for tuberculosis. Two days later, her body was found underneath some bushes near city hall.
"It is very unusual for a suspect to plead guilty to first-degree murder and it speaks to the quality of the investigation," said Doug LePard, deputy chief of the Vancouver Police Department.
Police said they received an anonymous 911 call from a man with a French accent, reporting an assault on a woman near city hall.
Police released the 911 tape on Friday:
- 911 Operator: Vancouver Police, what is your emergency?
- Caller: Some guy just assaulted a girl in the Vancouver City Hall area.
- 911 Operator: How close to City Hall?
- Caller: In the park.
- 911 Operator: How many girls is he assaulting?
- Caller: Just one.
Police said the 911 call was made from this phone booth not far from the murder scene near City Hall.
(Vancouver Police Department)
It turned out the caller was Vezina, who made the call from a phone booth not far from the crime scene, police said.
Vezina didn't know Guthrie prior to the night he killed her — it was a brutal random attack, police said. He was arrested in Calgary in March last year and his DNA linked him to the crime.
"She was an innocent and vulnerable victim who was savagely murdered in an unprovoked attack by a murderer, a stranger," LePard said.
The victim's sister, Robyn Brandow, said despite her troubles, Guthrie was a positive and loving person.
"She was a very outgoing, beautiful person," Brandow said Friday. "She had a big heart. She would help anybody in need and she just … she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and she did not deserve this."
Guthrie's family said they’re thankful for a guilty plea, because it means they will not have to sit through a lengthy trial.
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