A man found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2020 shooting of 26-year-old Alex Knatchbell on Humpback Road in Langford, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 25 years at a hearing on Monday, Aug 26.

Knatchbell, a Sooke man who the judge said was a known drug dealer, had been lured to a remote area of Humpback Road by Damien Medwedrich late in the evening of Jan. 20, 2020, and shot 12 times while sitting inside his Nissan Pathfinder.

Medwedrich was arrested in Prince George 10 days after the shooting, with the gun that matched the one used to kill Knatchbell in his possession.

The court heard victim statements from Knatchbell's familly, who said his murder "ripped the family apart."

His teen sister, whose name is protected by a publication ban, described feeling depressed, anxious, and suicidal after her brother's death.

"When Alex was murdered, it felt like time had stopped. Nothing looked the same, nothing felt the same, and nothing would ever be the same again," she told the court. "I can't even count the amount of times I've screamed at the top of my lungs, begging for my brother to come back, crying for hours and hours and longing for Alex to walk through the door and tell me it was all a dream."

His mom, whose name is also under a publication ban, spoke about being at work, on her birthday, when she was informed by police of her son's murder. 

"This has forever changed my birthday. It's now the day I was told my son was dead," she said. "Darkness closed in that day. I couldn't breathe. I felt like I had to run, but I didn't know where. I could no longer comprehend words being spoken."

She recounted an inability to receive proper support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her family feeling isolated while grieving. She said she had to stop her husband, Knatchbell's stepfather, from killing himself twice as his mental health spiralled. The couple eventually separated, which she said was a result of Knatchbell's murder.

"There are not enough words I could write for days and days and days about the impact that this has had on my family. And it continues, it will never end," she said.

The family says he was close with his family, often participating in camping trips and family game nights, and he had a girlfriend whom they hoped he would marry.

Medwedrich declined to deliver a final statement to the court.

With files from Mark Page