Mission, British Columbia – A man in British Columbia has been sentenced to life in prison almost four years after a violent attack at a marijuana growing facility in Mission. The incident, which took place in 2020, resulted in one death and the assault and confinement of four other individuals at a residence on Gunn Avenue in Mission.
According to court documents, the perpetrator, whose motive was not specified in the court’s decision, had previously worked at the marijuana growing operation and lived at the main residence on the property. However, he had stopped working at the property a month before the attack took place.
The individual, identified as Van Nguyen, aged 63, was arrested in October 2020 and later pled guilty in May 2023. Despite having a minor criminal record prior to the incident, with no history of violent crimes, Nguyen was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 12 years due to his age and health condition.
The sentencing judge, Honourable Justice Michael Tammen, took into consideration several aggravating factors in the case, including the violent nature of the killing, intentional arson, evidence of premeditation, and the victims’ confinement. Additionally, Nguyen must provide a DNA sample for a database, adhere to a lifetime ban on possessing certain weapons, and refrain from contacting the surviving victims throughout his sentence.
Letters of support from Nguyen’s wife and adult children were presented to the judge as a sign of his character, and his expression of genuine remorse was noted in the court documents as a factor in his sentencing. The judge’s decision reflects a combination of the severity of the crimes committed and the mitigating circumstances presented during the proceedings.