Trio pleads guilty to murder, conspiracy in relation to Jonathan Bacon's killing

Three menaccused of killing Jonathan Bacon in a daytime gang shooting outside a Kelowna, B.C., hotel have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy charges as part of a plea deal to end the case.

Bacon, the eldest of three brothers linked to theRed Scorpions gang, was shot and killedjust after 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2011.

Jason McBride, Michael Jones and Jujhar Khun-Khunwere arrestedin 2013.

McBride was charged with second-degree murder inBacon's death, as well as attempted murder of four others targeted in the shooting.

Jones and Khun-Khunfaced chargesof conspiracy to commit murder.

The Crown and defence entered a joint statement agreeingon recommended sentences.

If the B.C. Supreme Court accepts the recommendation, McBride would be sentenced to life in prison with no chance at parole for 18 years.

Jones and Kuhn-Kuhn wouldsentenced to 18 years each; with credit for time served, they'll spend 10 years behind bars.

Original charges

McBride, Jones andKhun-Khunwere initially charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. They allpleaded not guilty to those offences.

However, theywere charged with new offences after striking a plea deal earlier this spring.

On Tuesday, the B.C.ProsecutionService said it optedfor a plea deal in the interest of securingconvictions, as the case had beenmarred by delays and legal challenges.

Shots fired in busy parking lot

Bacon, 30, wasleaving the hotel with the others in a Porsche Cayenne when two men opened fire, court heard.

Three others werealso injured in the shooting outside Kelowna'sDelta Grand Hotel: Hells Angels member Larry Amero andtwo women who'd been inthe SUV with Bacon.

One of thewomen,Leah Hadden-Watts,was left paralyzed.

Court heard that her vertebrae were shattered by bullets, leaving her with permanent disabilities and a reduced life expectancy.

A fourth, targeted person gangster James Riach escaped injury and ran out of the car.

Bacon and his brothers, Jamie and Jarrod, were believed by authorities to control the Red Scorpions gang, which was at the centre of a bloody gang war that played out on the streets of Metro Vancouver years ago.

Court heard that the shooting targeting Bacon was in retaliation for theMetrotownshooting death ofGurmeetDhakin 2010.

McBride and Khun-Khunboth have extensive criminal histories. Jones did not have a criminal record.

With files from The Canadian Press and Brady Strachan