Three convicted in death of Luka Gordic sentenced
Posted January 11, 2019 7:47 am.
Last Updated January 11, 2019 7:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Three men convicted in a deadly swarming attack in Whistler four years ago have been sentenced.
The trio was found guilty for their roles in the death of Luka Gordic. They can’t be named because of their ages at the time of the crime.
One of three teens convicted in the swarming death of a teen in Whistler in May 2015 has been given life in prison. He was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Luka Gordic.
*Two other youth convicted of manslaughter are each getting three years in total, including custody, probation, and supervision.
Gordic, an 18-year-old from Burnaby, was killed after he was stabbed. Prosecutors say the swarming attack involved up to 15 people and was planned.
RELATED: Sentencing hearing for three men in deadly Whistler swarming attack
One young man was found guilty of second-degree murder. He had Gordic’s blood on his clothing and on a knife that was found in his pocket after the killing.
His lawyers had argued he had no memory of any involvement of the incident because he had been drinking and taking Xanax. However, the judge said the gaps in the man’s memory seemed to be “highly selective,” and did not believe his evidence about his level of intoxication.
WATCH: Sentencing Hearing In Luka Gordic Death
The other two were found guilty of manslaughter. The evidence against one of them was circumstantial, including three small spots of Gordic’s DNA found on his shoe. That DNA was not confirmed to be blood.
The case against the other person convicted of manslaughter included evidence that his DNA was found on a knife found at the scene of the attack.
A fourth man, Arvin Golic, was sentenced in December, 2017 for manslaughter. He received a sentence of seven years in prison, minus credit for time served.
When asked if Friday’s sentencing meant it was over, Luka’s father Mitch said “it will be over when I die. There’s no over, I love my son too much.”
*A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that the two youth convicted would get three years behind bars.
-With files from Martin MacMahon
