The most recent reports state that 58-year-old Steven Bacon, who admitted guilt in 2017 to the second-degree murder of 16-year-old Makayla Chang, has been given a life term in jail.
The most recent reports state that 58-year-old Steven Bacon, who admitted guilt in 2017 to the second-degree murder of 16-year-old Makayla Chang, has been given a life term in jail.
The 58-year-old man, who had known Makayla Chang for seven years before her death, was sentenced to 20 years in jail without parole after admitting guilt to the teen's second-degree murder.
On March 17, 2017, Steven Bacon admitted to killing Makayla Chang at his Nanaimo home. A few weeks prior, Chang had just turned 16 years old. Supreme Court told Bacon in imposing the term that he had "committed an appalling crime, a cowardly crime, a vicious crime."
Crown attorney Nicholas Barber stated that Chang and Bacon met in Nanaimo in the summer of 2016 in an agreed statement of facts read aloud in the courtroom. Chang was then residing with her grandma, who served as her guardian.
In the following months, Bacon and Chang developed a bond equal to a father and daughter. According to reports, Bacon told Chang their connection was a second opportunity after his daughter killed herself.
Chang reportedly spent more time with Bacon in spring 2017 and less time at school. She stayed at Bacon's house while lying to her grandmother about her whereabouts.
Bacon talked to Chang's grandma and the Ministry of Children and Family Development about adopting Chang. The two fought at the start of March. Chang claimed she was against adoption.
They argued about Chang staying out late with friends, among other things. Chang was dropped off at Bacon's by a young man she had just started dating in the early hours of March 17.
According to the agreed-upon events, Bacon shoved Chang during their altercation. As a result, she stumbled, hit her head, and was knocked out. He strangled her to death after waiting 15 minutes, then asked a friend to assist him in disposing of her body.
They traveled to a woodland in northern Nanaimo, where Bacon interred the woman in a small grave. On March 22, 2017, Makayla Chang, 16, was reported missing. It was discovered on May 18, 2017.
Bacon, who had previously been found guilty of fraud, pretended to be Chang for the next five days while contacting her friends and family on her phone and through her Facebook account.
He called the RCMP on March 22 to report her missing. He boarded a ferry, caught a bus, and hitchhiked across Canada the following day. Chang's body was located by police two months later.
Following an autopsy, trace levels of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cannabis were found in her blood. It also discovered proof of sexual activity between Chang and Bacon.
According to Bacon, it took place the day before she passed away and was consenting. In the past, Bacon was also found guilty of violent crimes and sexual assault. Police identified Bacon as a "person of interest" in 2019 and issued a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.
He was detained in New Brunswick the following year on unrelated suspicions before being accused of first-degree murder in Chang's killing. He initially entered a not guilty plea, but in August 2022, his plea changed to one of second-degree murder.
Chang's parents read victim impact statements in court on Friday while upset and spoke through tears. Kerry Chang, her father, praised his daughter as having a "unbelievable spirit" and a constant desire to assist others.
He claims that his only solace is the knowledge that Bacon will be behind bars because he tried suicide in 2020. Her mother, Janine Vautour, claimed their family suffered greatly due to Chang's passing.
She claimed that she now experiences anxiety and short-term memory loss. She said in a statement that she repeatedly pleaded with Bacon, pleading with him to keep her kid away.
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When she spoke to him, Bacon momentarily looked up, keeping his eyes expressionless. Then, in a brief statement to the court, Bacon admitted his mistakes and said there was nothing he could say to change the situation.
In his concluding remarks, Baird stated that Bacon's elderly age makes it likely that he will pass away in custody. Chang's relatives and friends applauded when the judge called the court to recess a little later.