Johnny Steven Drynock had been facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with the murder of Birinderjeet Justin Bhangu in the parking lot of Surrey’s Comfort Inn Hotel on March 13, 2017. With his manslaughter sentence, Drynock will be eligible for full parole after serving one-third of his term, or about three and half more years.
SURREY – The man who killed Indo-Canadian gangster in brazen daylight gangland style shooting pleaded guilty to manslaughter instead of murder one in exchange for a lighter 10 year sentence.
Johnny Steven Drynock, 24, had been facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with the murder of Birinderjeet Justin Bhangu in the parking lot of Surrey’s Comfort Inn Hotel on March 13, 2017.
B.C. Prosecution Service official Alisia Adams confirmed Monday that Drynock had pleaded guilty to manslaughter using a firearm.
“The sentence that would have been imposed was 14 years, but after receiving credit for pre-sentence custody, Mr. Drynock was sentenced to an additional 10 years, 9 months,” Adams said.
She said she had no further details about the plea agreement that resulted in a stay of the first-degree murder charge. If convicted on that count, Drynock would have received a mandatory life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years, reported Vancouver Sun.
With his manslaughter sentence, Drynock will be eligible for full parole after serving one-third of his term, or about three and half more years.
Bhangu, 29, had links to some of the gang violence that was going on across the Lower Mainland at the time. He had a criminal record dating back more than a decade of driving offences, property crimes and drug trafficking.
But his family released a statement calling him “a very loving, respectful and warm-hearted individual who did not deserve to be taken from us so soon in this horrendous way,” reported Vancouver Sun.
