Fire victim Cheryl William.
Relatives of a Kamloops woman who died in a 2013 house fire wept openly on Tuesday morning as the foreman of a B.C. Supreme Court jury read a guilty verdict following David Gordon’s manslaughter trial.
The jury found Gordon guilty of each of the three counts with which he was charged — manslaughter and two charges of causing damage by fire or explosion.
Prosecutor Neil Flanagan indicated after the guilty verdict the Crown will likely pursue dangerous-offender status for Gordon — a label that could see him locked up indefinitely.
Cheryl William died following a house fire on St. Paul Street on April 25, 2013. She was asleep in the home when the fire broke out and efforts to wake her up were unsuccessful.
After nearly three weeks of trial, it took the jury less than a day of deliberations to come back with a guilty verdict.
“We were a little worried last night,” Earl William, Cheryl’s sister, told KTW outside court.
“It could have went either way. But, I think the jury saw what we saw.”
William said his family has a greater sense of closure now that Gordon has been convicted.
“It was a long haul, a long couple of years for our family,” he said.
“Now, we can hopefully put it behind us.”
Family and friends of the victim held a prayer circle outside the courtroom following the verdict.
During the trial, the jury heard evidence that Gordon lit a box of clothes on fire after having an argument with his girlfriend. He then fled the house and his roommate was unable to douse the flames or wake up William.
Gordon had only been living in the house for two days prior to setting the fire.
Gordon will return to court on Nov. 23 to set a date for a sentencing hearing.
