Ashley Laird Baird was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole for ten years after being charged with second-degree murder in the death of fellow inmate Jeffrey Ryan, 34, of Parkland County, Alberta, in January 2022. (Facebook)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

chance of parole in 10

‘I killed him:’ life in prison for Nanaimo’s Ashley Baird for murdering cellmate in Alberta

May 28, 2024 | 5:48 AM

NANAIMO — A local man will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for a decade after being sentenced for second-degree murder in an Alberta courtroom.

Ashley Laird Baird, 41, was sentenced during a May 27, 2024, Alberta Kings Bench court appearance in a Drumheller, AB court after he was charged with the murder of 34-year-old Jeffery Ryan of Parkland County, AB.

The charges were a result of an unprovoked attack at the medium-security facility in Drumheller in January 2022, according to a Correctional Services of Canada release, where Baird and Ryan were cellmates.

Court heard on the evening of January 26, 2022, Ryan was in a unit at the Drumheller Correctional Centre talking to his mother on the phone, sitting in a chair with his back to his cell.

Around 8:15 p.m., Baird is seen looking out from his cell. A moment later, Baird exits his cell and stabs Ryan in the right side of his neck using an eight-inch prison-made weapon.

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Ryan proceeded to get medical assistance from a correctional officer, while another inmate reportedly heard Baird say, “I killed him.”

Baird dropped the weapon when approached by two officers, while Ryan was transported to the Drumheller Health Centre where he later died.

The attack was captured on video camera and an autopsy confirmed Ryan died as a result of his injuries. Despite suffering from mental health issues, the Court decided they did not exclude Baird from prosecution.

Ryan’s mother and sister were in court for sentencing, each providing a victim impact statement.

“My love for him has no boundaries,” said his sister in her statement. “My heart is broken in pieces, part of my soul is gone.”

At the time of his death, Ryan had been serving a little more than a three-year sentence for drug trafficking and weapons offences.

Baird was serving a four-and-a-half-year sentence for a home invasion in Nanaimo in 2017 after pleading guilty to six charges.

He forced his way into a Haliburton St. home while armed with a shotgun and then zap-strapped five people and demanded a safe belonging to a man murdered earlier the same day.

Originally pleading not guilty to the Drumheller slaying, Baird reversed course and entered a guilty plea in March of last year.

He also has a lifetime weapons ban, must provide a DNA sample to authorities, and having no contact with members of the victim’s family during his sentence.

The case was adjourned several times to allow Baird to retain council and obtain the proper disclosure and information, and to bring him back to Alberta from Quebec where he was being held.

Baird has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2002, for charges including mischief, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and multiple breaches of court orders and probationary terms.

The Drumheller Institution is a medium-security prison and includes a 72-bed minimum-security facility. (Jason Blanke/Drumhelleronline.com)

— With files from Pat Kolafa, The Drumheller Mail.

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