A man has been sentenced to 30 months in jail minus time served for his part in the Chilliwack beating of a 76-year-old homeless man.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ardith Walkem said co-accuseds, Daniel Suel and Marco Verhage, assaulted Dennis White.
She said both were experiencing serious substance abuse at the time of the assault. Suel was homeless.
Verhage has already pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years, Walkem said in her newly released Dec. 14 decision.
Suel pled guilty to aggravated assault and breaking and entering.
Circumstances
Court heard Verhage had offered to drive a group of people from a homeless encampment in Hope to Chilliwack, on Dec. 1, 2019.
After dropping others off around town, only Verhage and Suel remained in the vehicle.
Walkem said the pair then went to a Chilliwack Tim Hortons where they parked in the lot and orally ingested raw methamphetamine.
“This was not the usual way that they used the drug, and the result was different and more intense,” she said.
They left the vehicle and came across an RV owned and lived in by White.
White heard Suel and Verhage and approached them.
“Verhage then punched Mr. White in the face,” Walkem said. “Mr. White fell to the ground, and Mr. Verhage and Mr. Suel picked him up and put him inside the RV. These actions were all unplanned.”
Suel then told Verhage to drive the RV.
“Mr. Suel proceeded to physically assault Mr. White on the bed in the back of the RV while Mr. Verhage drove the RV,“ the judge said.
The RV became stuck, and Suel and Verhage left the vehicle. They took White's wallet and returned to Hope.
Victim impact
Walkem said White left the RV after the men left and attempted to get help from people passing on the highway with a passerby eventually calling 911.
He was taken to hospital.
“The assault he sustained, resulted in the following injuries: a nasal fracture, two rib fractures, a spinal fracture, numerous dental injuries, significant facial trauma, secondary kidney damage, soft tissue injuries, and a significant concussion,” the judge said.
He remained in the hospital for about a month.
In a statement to the RCMP, White stated he was afraid during the attack that Suel was going to kill him.
“The assault and resulting events had a significant impact on the final months of Mr. White's life. His RV was taken into evidence as part of the investigation and was not returned to him after evidence was collected from it,” Walkem said.
“This resulted in him himself becoming homeless and having to move into a shelter after being released from the hospital. He sought counselling to deal with the trauma he experienced related to the attack, and remained in Chilliwack to ensure that he would be there for the trial," the ruling said.
White died of a heart attack within a year.
Verhage, accompanied by Suel, used White's credit card to purchase gas. Verhage was identified through surveillance footage and arrested. Verhage identified Suel.
