The two inmates who escaped from the William Head Institution in Metchosin in July will appear in court for sentencing at the end of September and beginning of October.
James Busch, 42, and Zachary Armitage, 30, escaped from the minimum-security prison on July 6. Corrections staff noticed they were missing when they didn’t turn up for the 11 p.m. roll call.
They were recaptured on July 9 after they commented on a Great Dane, which belonged to an off-duty RCMP officer.
Armitage is scheduled to appear in Western Communities Provincial Court on Sept. 24 while Busch is set to appear on Oct. 1. Busch is facing two counts of escape from lawful custody while Armitage is facing one count.
Busch pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2010 and was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 15 years. He had killed a woman over a $20 drug debt then put her body in a dumpster. The woman, 41-year-old Sandra Marie Ramsay, had lived next door to Busch at a downtown assisted living facility.
Busch had been out of jail just two months when he killed Ramsay and had previous convictions for violent offences including assault with a weapon.
Armitage is serving a 13-year sentence for robbery and aggravated assault, in which the victim later died.
West Shore RCMP have not made a link to the pair’s escape and the death of Metchosin resident Martin Payne the same month.
Payne was found dead in his home on July 12 and his vehicle was found July 9 in Oak Bay. Police have said foul play has been confirmed in his death and “persons of interest” have been identified.
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