IQALUIT
A Cambridge Bay man who has spent eight years in custody in different prisons across Canada pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter and two counts of attempted murder Jan. 14 at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit.

Chris Bishop of Cambridge Bay, being escorted by an RCMP officer outside the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit after the first day of his original trial on May 26, 2010, pleaded guilty Jan. 14 to three counts of manslaughter and two counts of attempted murder in a plea agreement. - NNSL file photo

The years of incarceration came as a result of earlier convictions, which were overturned on appeal.

Chris Bishop's guilty pleas come as a result of a plea bargain between the Crown and defence counsel, accepted by Justice Robert Kilpatrick, who is expected to render a written sentencing decision in a few weeks, completing a dark chapter that has traumatized the community of Cambridge Bay.

Bishop pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder, instead pleading guilty to three lesser counts of manslaughter in the deaths of three men in Cambridge Bay, plus the two counts of attempt murder.

"I wish I could go back ... and make better decisions"

Bishop was 21 years old in the early morning hours of Jan. 6, 2007 when he opened fire after five people broke into his Cambridge Bay home.

"I wish I could go back eight years and make better decisions," said Bishop to Kilpatrick when offered the opportunity to speak. "Whatever your decision, the event will haunt me for the rest of my years."

Crown attorney Paul Culver informed the court that the Crown "engaged in lengthy deliberations and consultations in reaching this decision to accept these pleas today."

The events leading to the deaths of Keith Atatahak, 30, Kevin Komaksiut, 22, and Dean Costa, 29, began with a home invasion that saw Bishop's front door and bedroom door broken down.

In his statement of facts, Culver repeated the details of that violent night. He also played recordings of two calls Bishop made to RCMP prior to the shooting while hiding in his bedroom during an ongoing feud with the people he ended up shooting.

In Bishop's first call to police, the dispatcher repeatedly asks Bishop how many people are trying to break into his house. Bishop leaves the phone, then returns to say the assailants had left and the dispatcher tells him to call back if there is more trouble. Bishop called police a few minutes later when efforts to break down his door resumed and the dispatcher again asks how many people are trying to get in.

When they tried to enter Bishop's bedroom, he opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle equipped with an illegal "banana" clip capable of firing 30 rounds of ammunition. Two of the deceased were found with a samurai sword and a broken golf club.

Logan Pigalak, 31, and Antoinette Bernhardt, 27, were wounded, Bernhardt severely enough to be medevaced to Yellowknife for treatment.

Bishop was convicted of three counts of second degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in a trial by jury in 2010, and sentenced to life imprisonment. The decision was overturned in the Nunavut Court of Appeal in January 2013 and a new trial was ordered. The plea bargain presented Jan. 14 means a new trial is not necessary but allowed the opportunity for victim impact statements to be made toward sentencing.

Two statements were read into the record. Clara Wingnek, Costa's common-law partner, wrote that he was "laughter in a world of tears" and was "more alive than anyone I have ever met."

She added Bishop acted "without remorse and compassion" and "everyday activities are crippling to me."

Beatrice Bernhardt, Antoinette's mother, said she still cries for Atatahak and misses him tremendously, adding she is "still angry" at Bishop for "killing my son-in-law (Keith Atatahak) and attempting to kill my daughter."

Both defence and Crown attorneys then presented their sentencing submissions. Both agreed a 20-year sentence was fair and appropriate for the totality of the event.

"This was a case where the accused had a viable defence and the pleas do show significant remorse," said Bishop's attorney, Joe Morton. "While in custody the accused always acted respectfully and the authorities say he was a trusted prisoner."

Morton asked the judge to consider the eight years of time served to count for up to 17 years of a sentence. The Crown, meanwhile, asked for a low-end of eight years and a maximum of almost 15 years to account for time served. During that time he was transferred between prisons in Ontario, including the maximum-security Kingston Penitentiary

Kilpatrick hopes to reach his sentencing decision by mid-February to offer Bishop and the victims and families "closure and certainty."

"I'm sure you're anxious to get on with your life, as are the families and the community of Cambridge Bay," said Kilpatrick.

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