A Sechelt man accused of killing his mother in 2014 has pleaded guilty in the middle of his trial on charges of second-degree murder.
Donovan Penner, 49, was arrested Oct. 1, 2014 at the Selma Park home where his mother, 67-year-old Esme LaChance, was found dead by police and ambulance crews responding to a 911 call.
His trial opened Feb. 13 at Vancouver Supreme Court with the Crown laying out the case that Penner had mental health issues and argued frequently with LaChance, who was killed by several blows to the head.
Penner changed his plea to guilty as the trial was resuming Feb. 19.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took the lead in the investigation after the initial response from Sunshine Coast RCMP.
“It is IHIT’s sincere hope that this will bring some closure to the family and friends of Ms. LaChance,” IHIT Cpl. Frank Jang said in a release the day after Penner changed his plea.
“A guilty plea in any investigation speaks to the hard work and dedication of all the agencies involved. It is important to acknowledge the efforts of our IHIT investigators, the support from the Sunshine Coast RCMP and the partnership with Crown counsel.”
Penner will be sentenced on Feb. 26. Second-degree murder carries an automatic life term in prison, with eligibility for parole after 10 years, but the judge has discretion to increase it to as much as 25 years.
