Parole eligibility debated for Nanaimo man convicted of violent cocaine-fueled murder

Undisputed facts outlined at trial heard an early morning physical confrontation ensued after Phillips pressed Priddle for $300 owed for cocaine after the pair met up for sex.

Sixty-four of the stab wounds were to the head and neck, with the fatal blow to the left side of the neck, severing Phillips’ carotid artery and jugular vein, as presented by a pathologist’s report.

A tip of the murder weapon Priddle carried with him to Phillips’ home was discovered lodged in the victim’s skull.

The pair had connected hours earlier on the online dating app, Grindr.

“The sheer number of blows in of itself, 75, is a shocking number of brutality and it’s not what’s reflected in the authorities before the court,” Crown prosecutor Lindsay Pearce told a BC Supreme Court parole eligibility hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 20 in Nanaimo.

Pearce added Priddle also applied a chokehold, resulting in a fractured spinal cord.

Priddle automatically receives life in prison for the second degree murder charge; however it’s up to justice Catherine Wedge to determine parole eligibility of between 10 and 25 years.

Pearce suggested 15 years before Priddle could apply to the Parole Board of Canada for early release, while defence attorneys requested the minimum 10 years.

Eight of the 12 jurors at the Port Alberni-based trial recommended Priddle’s parole eligibility should be 15 years.

Priddle had no prior criminal record, signifying a highly unusual factor given the gravity of his crime.

Phillips’ partially decomposed body was found face-down in a pool of blood on Dec. 30, 2020, the same day Priddle was arrested in Nanaimo after police were tipped off by the offender’s mother.

The Crown’s Pearce called Priddle’s severe level of violence and poor post-offence conduct in the hours and days following the offence “highly aggravating.”

Priddle searched the victim’s dead body to take his keys in order to steal his Honda CRV.

The offender also stole cash and cocaine from Phillips before bolting.

Pearce told the hearing evidence from Priddle’s phone showed he texted friends, searched surf reports and beach webcams, as well as partied with friends at a Tofino campground following the murder.

Priddle testified at trial he returned to the murder scene 24 hours later where he turned on the kitchen’s stove elements, but denied his intent was to ignite a fire.

“The purpose for which was to conceal evidence and the extent of the crimes. The purpose, in the Crown’s submission, was to hide everything,” Pearce argued, noting burned items were found on the stove.

The entire suite was covered in soot, with all four stove-top elements discovered turned on.

Priddle and his legal team unsuccessfully applied a self-defence argument during the trial.

No evidence placed before the court suggested Priddle suffered or was diagnosed with a mental illness.

Pre-sentence or psychological assessments were not ordered for sentencing.

Pearce asserted Priddle’s testimony had memory blocks, and was an attempt to minimize his actions, including his high level of violence.

“In the Crown’s submission, to impose the minimum (10-year parole eligibility) would discount the sheer brutality and gratuitous violence inflicted on Mr. Phillips, as well as the abhorrent post-offence conduct by Mr. Priddle.”

Victim impact
Michelle Phillips sunk to the floor feeling numb and in disbelief when her mother phoned on Jan 1, 2021 to report her brother had been murdered.

Described as an active member of the Tofino community and fierce advocate for numerous environmental causes, Michelle said while her brother was not perfect, he would never intentionally harm anyone.

“He was kind and very generous, funny, thoughtful. He cared about his community, his family. He had a great love for nature and his environment.”

Holding back tears, Michelle recounted being given one hour to retrieve personal items from his brother’s home before a hazmat team returned to the damaged suite.

“Seeing my brother’s home black with soot, the empty crayfish tank on the ground and his personal items strewn on the ground with blood made it all too real. Who killed him and why?”

Details of the murder were first publicly revealed at trial in late March, hitting Michelle with perhaps more grief compared to first hearing her brother was a homicide victim.

“There are no words to express how those choices that day affected me and my family. My brother was taken from us and the details of the savageness of his death are unbearable. To viciously stab somebody 75 times is just unthinkable. This is the stuff of horror movies.”

A gut-wrenching letter on behalf of Marilyn McCallister, the victim’s mother, was read out.

McCallister was trembling while sitting in a chair as a therapy dog laid calmly beside her.

Due to COVID public health restrictions, a blindsided McCallister expanded on how visitation restrictions compounded the grief upon hearing her son’s fate.

“No one was available to support us, not family, not friends or even the neighbours in this devastating situation.”

If it weren’t for a First Nations Elder staging a healing ceremony when McCallister collected her sons’ ashes and belongings, she doesn’t think she’d still be alive.

“Grieve the day first thing every day and then give thanks for your life. I have done this every day faithfully and I do appreciate how powerful this teaching is, it has kept me here.”

The victim’s niece, Alexander Phillips, recounted how close she was with her uncle.

They had a similar passion for the outdoors.

“The last time we talked, he told me about how he wanted to take me to New Zealand and show me all around…Now it’s all a dream.”

Offender’s circumstances
Fully acknowledging the violent actions of his client and poor initial post-offence conduct, defence attorney Dale Marshall said Priddle has demonstrated an extraordinarily strong turnaround.

Priddle was arrested a second time and charged on Dec. 9, 2022, later receiving bail with stringent conditions in late January 2023.

In the weeks following the homicide, Marshall said Priddle entered and completed a residential addiction treatment program in Nanaimo, followed by successful tenures at multiple sober houses.

Up until his conviction this past April when Priddle was detained, he had worked full time at two Nanaimo restaurants as a cook, Marshall told court.

Several glowing character references from family, friends and co-workers were submitted to the court, categorizing Priddle as kind, caring, respected and hard-working.

Marshall reported Priddle has abided fully with bail conditions, including following through on a commitment to sobriety.

“…this is not a young man that needs to demonstrate an ability to rehabilitate himself, because he has done that extensively. He is not somebody who the community needs to be protected from.”

Stating his client had a supportive upbringing, Priddle first struggled with cocaine at around the ages of 19 and 20 in Alberta where his addiction resulted in him being fired from several restaurant jobs.

Early in 2019, Marshall said Priddle sought a change of scenery, obtaining employment on Vancouver Island’s west coast.

Priddle secured a second full-time job, working 100 hours a week cooking at high-end Tofino restaurants.

When pandemic restrictions led to a pair of restaurant industry shutdowns in 2020, Priddle’s cocaine addiction re-appeared.

Marshall reported his client was clouded by acute cocaine intoxication leading up to, during and after the homicide.

“He didn’t know what to do and he panicked. He has never had a negative interaction with police that we’re aware of and he consumed a significant amount of cocaine during this period of time,” Marshall said, who clearly stated Priddle’s addiction is not an excuse for the crime.

Marshall said Priddle’s crime was sudden and impulsive, rather than planned and deliberate.

Priddle sat silently in the prisoner’s box throughout the day-long proceedings.

He made a brief apologetic statement to the court while sobbing profusely.

Supporters of both the victim and offender packed a sweltering overflow courtroom gallery for the parole eligibility arguments.

Justice Wedge is expected to announce her decision next month.

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by Ian Holmes

Parole eligibility debated for Nanaimo man convicted of violent cocaine-fueled murder

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