Sentencing begins for brazen murder in Nanaimo hotel lobby

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WATCH: We now have more to tell you about a targeted fatal shooting in the lobby of a Nanaimo hotel nearly two years ago. A 34-year-old man died in what prosecutors say was a drug-related, possibly gang-related murder. Kendall Hanson reports.

Wanda Campbell flipped through pictures of her son during happy times on Friday.

She said she lost contact with him after he became involved with drugs, but she still felt compelled to attend the sentencing of the man who murdered him.

“[It’s] the last thing I can do for my son, just to see this guy put away,” said Campbell.

In February, 32-year-old Brandon Woody pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of 34-year-old Andrew McLean. McLean was shot to death in the lobby of a Nanaimo hotel on April 19, 2017.

In a confession to police, Woody was ordered to kill McLean for “messing up” in his drug dealing. The day of the murder Woody first went to this south-end Nanaimo home looking for the victim. He forced a woman there to call McLean to find out where he was.

Woody then went to the hotel where McLean was waiting.

The hotel’s video surveillance was played in court and captured what happened next. McLean was looking down at his cellphone as Woody entered the back of the lobby with his gun drawn. He shot McLean twice in the back and twice in the head at close range before he exited out the front. The night clerk was at the front desk and witnessed it all.

“[He] didn’t even see it coming. He was on his phone texting,” said Campbell.

Before RCMP arrived at the murder scene, a nearby officer on patrol pulled over a suspicious vehicle that pulled out of this parking lot. The driver was Brandon Woody. The officer let him go when he was called to the murder scene but police soon connected the dots and intercepted Woody near Duncan.

Woody later told police he gave the murder weapon to a man near the Duke Point turnoff. Woody said that man was wearing Hell’s Angels colours.

Prosecutors say Woody should serve at least 20 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.McLean’s mother hopes he never is never granted parole.

“Let’s hope he never does [get out] or at least he can stay in prison and get beat up everyday,” said Campbell.

The sentencing hearing is expected to last two more days.

In August 2017, another man was sentenced for a home invasion that was connected to the Nanaimo hotel shooting.

Kendall HansonKendall Hanson

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