Jordan Herron and Orren Johnson are escorted from court on Feb. 15, 2017. Photo by Chelsea Laskowski.
Two men were convicted of murder at Prince Albert Queen’s Bench on Wednesday, and will receive automatic life sentences.
A 12-person jury spent less than a day in deliberations before finding Orren Johnson guilty of first-degree murder and Jordan Herron guilty of second-degree murder in relation to the early 2014 death of Clayton James Bear.
The 17-year-old was shot around 5:45 a.m. on April 14, 2014 after going to bed at a house party in Prince Albert’s West Hill. Bear later died of blood loss while in hospital.
The victim’s family cried openly when the verdict was delivered, with Bear’s mother clutching a framed photo of him. After the jury was dismissed, family members hugged each other. There were tears on the other side of the gallery as well, from Herron and Johnon’s loved ones.
A guilty murder verdict nets an automatic life sentence, with parole eligibility ranging between 10 and 25 years.
Outside court, Bear’s aunt Hilda Ross described how she felt when the jury presented their findings.
Clayton James Bear’s family outside court. Photo by Chelsea Laskowski.
“I actually felt bad for the other family. I mean, they will have their sons here but they will be put away and maybe that’s not what they want. But they have to understand that at least they’re here in person. As for us, we will never see Clayton,” she said.
“I don’t have anger. I did at first, so did everybody else. But with a lot of thought and prayer and the closeness of my family, I don’t hold nothing against them and I’m very proud of my sister for holding up well because she’s been under so much stress since we lost him.”
After a three-week trial that suffered from conflicting witness statements, Herron’s lawyer Mary McAuley said she thought an acquittal was possible and expected, at most, a manslaughter conviction.
“There was a few of the witnesses that had given three different statements. Not any of those statements were the same and then the testimony at the preliminary hearing was different from the statements, and then the testimony at the trial was different from the preliminary hearing. It was just, it was very troublesome and it looked very problematic for the Crown,” McAuley said.
Johnson’s lawyer Lisa Trach was often at odds with McAuley during the trial, but she also expressed disappointment in the outcome.
“I was quite surprised by it and I don’t think it was supported by the evidence,” Trach said.
Herron and Johnson will be sentenced separately, with Herron’s sentencing set for Thursday morning and Johnson’s for March 22.