A Surrey murderer has died in prison while serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of Vic Fraser, a man he brutally stabbed to death in Bridgeview.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 finally over for our family,含羞草研究社� the victim含羞草研究社檚 sister, Jeanie Fraser, told the Now-Leader on Thursday. 含羞草研究社淚 had the fear of him getting out.含羞草研究社�

Friday will mark 25 years to the day her brother was killed.

含羞草研究社淚 just spent the morning bawling my head off. It destroyed our family.含羞草研究社�

Gary Donald Johnston was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced in November 2011. The trial, in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, heard Johnston stabbed Fraser nine times, breaking off knife blades in his neck before bludgeoning him with a flowerpot, booting him in the ribs and making off with his wallet.

The court heard Fraser, a 42-year-old crane operator from New Westminster, had interrupted Johnston while Johnston was burglarizing a little yellow bungalow Fraser含羞草研究社檚 sister owned in Bridgeview on March 10, 1998. Fraser died of massive blood loss.

含羞草研究社淭he impact on family and friends has been immense,含羞草研究社� Justice Robert Crawford noted at the time. He wondered why Johnston resorted to killing the witness in cold blood when he was caught ransacking the house.

含羞草研究社淲hy not just bare-face the situation and walk out?含羞草研究社�

The Correctional Service Canada issued a news release that Johnston died on Sunday, March 5 while in custody at Mountain Institution in Agassiz.

含羞草研究社淎s in all cases involving the death of an inmate, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) will review the circumstances. CSC policy requires that the police and the coroner be notified,含羞草研究社� it reads.

Jeanie Fraser noted that had Johnston not died, he was up for day parole on Sept. 24, 2023.

含羞草研究社淚 was scared,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 just happy it含羞草研究社檚 over.含羞草研究社�

After Vic Fraser含羞草研究社檚 death, Johnston made his way to Regina where, eight-and-a-half months later, he stabbed caretaker Wayne Griffith multiple times in the neck, wrapped his body in plastic and dumped it in a desolate field.

Originally charged with second-degree murder in that case, Johnston pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years, plus time served. He did seven.

Undercover police posing as an organized crime gang in what含羞草研究社檚 known as a 含羞草研究社淢r. Big interview含羞草研究社� approached Johnston when he was on parole and roughly 60 scenarios were enacted in Ontario and Quebec, over six months, to win his trust. The 2011 trial heard that during their last scenario Johnston told the undercover cops that he含羞草研究社檇 stabbed Fraser about 30 times in the throat, and also offered to carry out killings for the bogus crime syndicate. He was arrested immediately after that.

The killer含羞草研究社檚 life-long criminal record began at age 18 and in the years that followed he was convicted, sometimes on multiple occasions, of burglary, assault causing bodily harm and extortion, besides the Saskatchewan manslaughter conviction and his murder conviction in the Fraser case.

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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