A photo of Tkachuk provided by police.

Image Credit: Vernon RCMP

Armed with shotguns and with their faces covered, Edward Scott Coghill and Stewart Wayne Tkachuk had zip ties in their pockets when they broke into the Lumby home of James Jurica and Candice Kado at 1 a.m. suspecting it was grow-op.

The couple were watching TV in bed and had no idea the men had entered their home until they burst into their bedroom and a violent and lengthy attack began.

Screaming at them, Coghill and Tkachuk demanded drugs and money.

Jurica was shot in the chest, stomach, and hip but Kado fought back, swinging a baseball bat at the men and hitting one of them.

More violence followed which left Jurica with multiple open wounds and needing 12 stitches in his head.

Pinned to the ground with zip ties around his wrist Tkachuk pointed his gun at Jurica as the house was ransacked.

Jurica was taken downstairs to the basement and told to open a safe at gunpoint. In her terrified state, it took her several attempts before she finally managed to get it open.

In the chaos, a pellet fired from a weapon went through a wall and hit Kado in the face.

The violent ordeal lasted about 45 minutes, and although the couple were tied up, they were both sprayed with a bear spray-like product just before their attackers left.

Six years later, Tkachuk appeared from custody, while Coghill sat in the public gallery at the Vernon courthouse as Crown Prosecutor Brock Bellrichard argued the two should do between 16 and 19 years in jail.

"What... happened in the early hours of Sept. 18, 2019, (was) violent, chaotic, terrifying, and reprehensible," Bellrichard told the court.

The Crown prosecutor said the attack and robbery was deliberate and well-planned and had taken a considerable mental toll on both victims.

While the attack was premeditated, the robbery wasn't particularly fruitful for Coghill and Tkachuk.

They got away with $1,000 cash, two e-bikes, a TV, and Jurica's truck which was later recovered.

"There were marijuana plants, seedlings, and essentially cannabis operations happening on the property," Bellrichard said. "None of that appears from the current police investigation, and nothing was taken in regards to that."

While explaining the attack that left blood on the walls and the floor, the Crown took the time to recognize Kado's bravery.

"Despite the horrors that were going on around her, Ms. Kado had noticed Mr. Jurica was bleeding from his head and chest," the Crown said. "Despite being threatened by Mr. Tkachuk... and being held at gunpoint, she bravely and selflessly ignored his direction... and obtained towels to tend to the wounds of Mr. Jurica, and even brought in a ginger ale that was in the bedroom.

"I want to make note of Ms. Kado's bravery... in these circumstances, and how she put her life at risk to the benefit of Mr. Jurica."

She was tending to her boyfriend's wounds while being held at gunpoint.

After Coghill and Tkachuk left, the couple drove to Vernon Jubilee Hospital "in a significant amount of pain" and the police were called.

Bizarrely, it was three days later before Kado realized she had a pellet lodged into her chin, which was later removed with surgery.

The court heard how a lengthy police investigation followed and Coghill and Tkachuk were charged two-and-half years after the attack.

Coghill, now 50 years old, has a lengthy criminal record and was recently jailed for 16 months for stabbing a "friend" outside a Vernon gas station in 2020.

However, the court heard he had completely turned his life around since the attack and abided by all his bail conditions living in a remote rural area outside Merritt with his brother.

Tkachuk, 53, appeared from custody, having ripped off an ankle bracelet and gone on the run for several months. His criminal record began when he was a child.

While the Crown wanted between 16 and 19 years, defence lawyer Dominique Verdermann argued Coghill should do eight years.

BC Supreme Court Justice John Gibb-Carsley will decide in the new year how much time behind bars the men get.

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