A man who has pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the death of his neighbour in Creston as well as manslaughter in a separate homicide will be sentenced Jan. 7 in Kamloops.
Mitchell McIntyre pleaded guilty to the second degree murder of Julia Howe, 56, who was found on the bathroom floor of her home in February 2022.
RCMP originally believed Howe died from natural causes, but the doctor performing an autopsy two days later discovered a bullet in her head.
McIntyre, who was born in 1959, was arrested six weeks later and has been in custody ever since.
On the same day that Howe died, David Creamer was found dead in his home in Kimberley. According to a court judgement, McIntyre admitted to medical staff at East Kootenay Regional Hospital that he killed Creamer.
On Aug. 8 of this year, McIntyre was charged with second degree murder of a man. On Aug. 25, McIntyre pled not guilty to murder but guilty to the lesser included offence of manslaughter with a firearm.
Second degree murder comes with a life sentence with no parole for at least 10 years. Manslaughter with a firearm comes with a mandatory minimum sentence of four years in prison and a maximum of life. The Crown and defence positions on sentencing have not yet been put on the record.
Howe’s obituary said she was the mother of four children and had four grandchildren. She was also a school bus driver. She was also survived by her father and four siblings.
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