‘No words to describe the nightmare’: Man sentenced in N.B. couple’s 2019 murders - BERITAJA

A New Brunswick man has been handed down 2 life sentences, to beryllium served concurrently, for the 2019 murders of a mates successful their home.

Janson Bryan Baker was recovered blameworthy of first-degree execution successful the shooting deaths of Bernard Saulnier, 78, and his woman Rose-Marie Saulnier, 74, successful March after a two-month trial.

In his sentencing, Justice Cameron Gunn told Baker he “took the lives of 2 elderly, helpless people” and that he “assassinated them.”

“The responsibility of group successful a society, for illustration ours, is to look aft the vulnerable, to attraction for them, to cherish them, springiness them bid and comfortableness successful their last years,” Gunn said successful the Moncton, N.B., courtroom Thursday.

“You did the opposite. You stole from the Saulniers their last years, and you made their last moments ones of terror.”

The Saulniers were recovered dormant successful their location successful Dieppe, N.B., connected Sept. 7, 2019.

It had been the Crown’s assertion that their deaths were collateral harm successful an attempted execution of their boy arsenic portion of retribution for allegedly betraying a supplier trafficking ring.

Their son, Sylvio, died successful 2023 but constabulary person said location was nary criminality successful his death.

RCMP announced the charges against Baker successful 2023, connected the 4th day of the couple’s deaths. At the clip the charges were laid, Baker was an inmate astatine the Atlantic Institution, a maximum-security corrections installation successful Renous, N.B.

Baker is to service 2 life sentences without eligibility for parole for 25 years. He will besides beryllium prohibited from possessing firearms and weapons for life and communicating pinch anyone who provided unfortunate effect statements successful court.

‘No words to picture the nightmare’

The couple’s son, Luc, told the courtroom his parents’ murders shattered the family’s lives.

“There are nary words to picture the nightmare we, my woman Diane and I, person endured,” he said. “Nobody who lived the measurement they did should person to dice the measurement they died.”

He said his parents were “loved by truthful galore people.”

“Rose-Marie, who was often called Big Mama, was vibrant, she was active, and she was a captious support being for her family, her galore friends and the clients she served arsenic a naturopath,” he said.

“To person their lives brutally taken from america and the countless group who depended connected their support, emotion and generosity is devastating and we will suffer from not only their loss, but really it occurred, for the remainder of our lives.“

He went connected to opportunity he and his woman still person nightmares and are frightened connected a regular basis.

“We put chairs against our doors, still, astatine nighttime pinch an siren system,” he said.

The Saulniers’ bodies were discovered by Nadine Vosburgh — Sylvio’s erstwhile woman — who testified during the proceedings that she recovered the mates successful their bedroom.

In her unfortunate effect statement, which was publication by a Crown lawyer, Vosburgh said she and her boy now unrecorded successful fearfulness and person spent years successful a situation centre.

“I judge the trauma of discovering them will stay pinch maine for the remainder of my life,” she said.

When asked if he wanted to reside the court, Baker said, “not really. It’s nether entreaty and I’ll person my time successful court.”

Baker’s lawyer, Brian Munro, confirmed an entreaty “is decidedly going to beryllium filed.”

“It could return immoderate time; it’s a analyzable case. There were a number of ineligible rulings, location were a number of rulings that, successful my view, are problematic and probably, upon review, reversible,” Munro said.

In a statement, New Brunswick RCMP said their thoughts were pinch the couple’s family and friends and their “profound nonaccomplishment pursuing this tragic crime.”

“From the outset of this horrific crime, investigators remained patient successful their committedness to identifying those responsible and bringing them earlier the justness system,” the connection read.

“We dream that the conclusion of this investigation and the related ineligible proceedings has provided long-awaited answers and a measurement of closure to the Saulnier family, their loved ones, and the broader community.”

— with a record from BERITAJA’ Anna Mandin