January 21, 2013 - 1:31 PM
CHILLIWACK, B.C. - A B.C. man accused of killing a 14-year-old runaway girl has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
Jesse Blue West has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years in the killing of Chelsey Acorn, whose body was found north of Hope, B.C., by hikers in April of 2006.
The girl had disappeared the previous year after running away from her foster home in Abbotsford.
West's son, Dustin Moir, was convicted of first-degree murder in the case in 2010 and also got a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
His father argued that Acorn's death was accidental and he simply helped dispose of the body, but the court rejected the argument.
Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the latest verdict marks the closing of a painful chapter for the family and friends of Chelsey, adding that justice has been served on those responsible for what she calls a "grisly murder".
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013