Dexter Bain murder investigator speaks out on day Kyle Ledesma sentenced

A retired homicide detective got some closure today on a case that's taken more than four years to work its way through the justice system.

Tom Barrow led the investigation into the murder of Dexter Bain, a bartender with no criminal history who was shot in the back while closing a pub in November2010.

Kyle Ledesma was handed a life sentence today with no chance of parole for at least 15years.

"It seemed to be a very just sentence," said Barrow.

After a 25-year career with the Calgary Police Service, Barrow retired a few months ago but still came to court nearly every day of the five-week trial.

The murder of Dexter Bain has always bothered the veteran cop.

"(It was a) senseless, useless crime committed by someone with a history of playing with guns."

Support for victim's family

Bain left behind a daughter. His mother and stepfather, who Barrow became close with, travelled from Kentucky to attend every day of the trial.

"It became very personal for me to support a family who was suffering," said Barrow.

Today's sentence was a conclusionmore than four years in the making.Ledesma had been the subject of an undercover police investigation called a "Mr. Big" sting.

"The Ledesma case was actually a very complicated one," said Crownprosecutor Marta Juzwiak, "The law changed while we were running it."

Following the Supreme Court decision last year regarding the admissibility of confessions like Ledesma's, prosecutors must now convince a judge to allow the evidence based on the reliability of the admissions made.

In Bain's case,Juzwiak and fellow prosecutor Grant Schornwere successful in arguing the undercover evidence should be admissible but shared the credit withpolice.

"It was thanks to the police work, I think, that we were able to meet the requirements of the Supreme Court and the Hart decision."