Content warning: The following contains details of a murder that some may find distressing.
A Langford man has been found guilty of murdering his wife in 2020. In a joint submission from Crown and defence, the judge sentenced Kenneth Weber to life in prison with 10 years before he can apply for parole.
Kerri Weber was found dead in her home on Nov. 6, 2020. In an agreed statement of facts read into B.C. Supreme Court in Victoria, Ken and Kerri met online dating in 2018 before marrying in September 2019. Their marriage was categorized as “troubled from the outset.”
Kerri was jealous of Ken’s alleged wandering eye and believed he was lying. Deeply depressed in January 2020, Ken attempted suicide.
Kerri had confided in friends and family she was planning on leaving because of his declining mental health and deteriorating relationship.
On the day Ken murdered Kerri, the two were in an argument because Ken had contacted marriage counsellors without her knowing. Kerri began knocking things over things in their bedroom, then saw a hammer and said to Ken, “why don’t you take that hammer and kill yourself?”
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Ken says he “snapped,” grabbing the hammer, hitting her in the head seven times before strangling her, and then killing her dog.
Ken told police after killing Kerri he wanted to kill himself. He drank some of Kerri’s alcohol and tried overdosing on lithium he is prescribed for the bipolar disorder he was diagnosed with in his 20s.
After surviving the suicide attempt, the next day Ken called his mother, admitting to killing Kerri and the dog asking her what he should do.
Upon his mother’s advice, Ken called 911. On Nov. 6, 2020, Westshore RCMP arrested Ken without incident outside their shared home.
Giving a heartfelt victim impact statement, Kerri’s son Logan Groves detailed the prolonged grief and trauma that affect him still to this day like anxiety, ringing in his ear, and a constant concern for his safety.
“I am alone in this room,” Logan told the courtroom through a poem.
His sister Prairie Groves said she’s suffered extreme depression and anxiety as a result of her mother’s murder and wasn’t able to work for two years.
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Looking at her step-dad on the stand she said, “I lost more than my mother. I lost my best friend and confidant.”
Ken’s defence lawyer Chris Johnson told the courtroom Kerri was an alcoholic, controlling and obsessively jealous. He says Weber’s violence was the result of a build-up of issues: Kerri’s jealousy, Ken still recovering from a suicide attempt, who was unable to work, and Ken’s increasing isolation.
When given the chance to speak, Ken who has been in custody since his arrest, stood up to address Kerri’s kids.
“I truly am sorry…I work every day on the whole issue. I think about how you guys are doing and I think about your mom every day… I hope you can move beyond this and live a good life,” said Weber.
Second-degree murder comes with a mandatory sentence of life in prison. In a joint submission, crown and defence pitched the minimum of 10 years before Ken can apply for parole.
The judge ultimately agreed, citing numerous mitigating factors but calling Kerri’s murder “particularly brutal,” killed by the man she married in her own home where she was entitled to feel safe, secure and loved by her husband.
Kori Sidaway
