A British Columbia man has been sentenced to less than seven years in prison for manslaughter after shooting his wife to death while severely intoxicated in 2023.
It happened in the remote northern B.C. community of Kwadacha, 75 kilometres northwest of Williston Lake.
Crown prosecutors had sought a longer sentence, arguing the killing followed an escalating pattern of intimate partner violence. However, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Sukstorf found no evidence the shooting was driven by a dispute between the couple, nor that it was planned or even targeted at the victim.
Brent Angus McCook was initially charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Rochelle Poole on Jan. 24, 2023.
McCook, now 28 years old, was ultimately convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter. The court heard the shooting “occurred after a prolonged period of extreme alcohol consumption,” according to the judge’s sentencing decision.
Evidence showed McCook had become “profoundly intoxicated” after drinking heavily over a 17-hour period at the couple’s home.
Poole, who was also severely impaired according to a post-mortem toxicology report, had been with him throughout the day. Witnesses described their interactions as “calm and affectionate,” the judge wrote.
Victim likely asleep when shot
At some point, McCook retrieved a loaded, scoped rifle and fired from inside the home toward a truck parked in the driveway. Poole, slouched in the passenger seat after returning from an outing, was struck in the head and killed.
“There was no evidence of what occurred after the vehicle was parked in the driveway and before the shots were fired,” the judge wrote. “Nor was there evidence that Mr. McCook knew Ms. Poole remained seated in the vehicle at that time.”
Similarly, the court found no evidence that McCook could see into the vehicle from inside the home. “While the forensic evidence established the direction of fire, it did not demonstrate visibility into the vehicle, deliberate targeting, or purposeful aim at Ms. Poole,” the judge wrote.
The court heard Poole was likely asleep, unconscious or otherwise incapacitated when she was struck. “She was found slumped in the vehicle with alcohol still in her lap, and there was no evidence that she exited or re-entered the truck after the others went inside,” the judge found.
After the fatal shot, McCook fired the rifle again—first towards a neighbour’s house and then towards people who had come to the scene.
“Those who approached were not threatening him, and there was no apparent reason to direct gunfire toward them,” according to the decision. “Although the rifle was pointed in particular directions, the overall pattern of conduct was erratic and disorganized. The behaviour was consistent with his severely intoxicated and disordered state, which was described by multiple witnesses.”
McCook did not attempt to flee and was instead apprehended by neighbours before being taken into police custody.
“In the hours following the offence, he remained profoundly intoxicated,” the decision said. “Witnesses described him as confused, volatile, and markedly unlike himself. His speech was at times incoherent and disconnected. Although he made various statements, there was no clear indication that he understood Ms. Poole had been killed.”
Crown sought 16-year sentence
Members of Poole’s family provided victim impact statements to the court, describing an outpouring of profound grief within the small, tight-knit community where Poole was a mother to two young children.
“The consequences of this offence are permanent,” the judge wrote, summarizing the submissions. “Her death has left a loss that no sentence imposed by this court can repair.”
McCook addressed the court directly during the sentencing hearing, accepting responsibility for Poole’s death and expressing sorrow for the pain he caused her family and community.
He said he does not remember committing the offence but has remained sober in custody since his arrest. The judge also noted he had no prior criminal record.
Prosecutors argued for a 16-year sentence, saying the offence warranted significant punishment because it involved a firearm and resulted in the death of an Indigenous woman and intimate partner. The Crown also sought a lifetime firearms ban.
The defence argued a five-year sentence was more appropriate, citing McCook’s lack of a criminal record, his Indigenous background, his sobriety in custody and his desire to parent his children. On the spectrum of manslaughter cases, the defence suggested this incident was closer to a near-accident than a near-murder.
In her ruling, Sukstorf found Poole’s death resulted from “serious risk-taking” but did not involve “deliberate targeting, sustained violence, or other highly aggravating features.”
“The evidence does not establish planning, motive, or sustained assaultive conduct,” she wrote. “Instead, the death resulted from profoundly reckless conduct rather than an intentional attack directed at Ms. Poole.”
McCook was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. With credit for time already served, that sentence was reduced to 724 days, or just under two years.
Upon release, he will be subject to three years of probation and a lifetime firearms