SUNDAY
April 16, 1995

& Business... 18
@& Classifieds....31
Bi Collins... cee
f@ Cressword... 36
LE UL re 2

@ Inside Stories.............13

@ N. Shore Alort..........16
8 Sunshine Girk......22
Ee: \,) EC 1)
@ TV Listings...............28
Vintage Years. 17
@ Wright. nnnnn 6

& Golf in B.C. special
. four-page feature: 23

‘@ Louie, Lie athletes of
the week: 12

fashion

8 Finding that perfect
pair of shoes: 13

Ls) Listings of fashion
calendar events: 14

Lonsdale
Edgemont
Deep Cove
West Var. |

Lover guilty |

A NORTH Shore man was sentenced
to life imprisonment Thursday for
stalking, ambushing and brutally
murdering his former lover in the vic-
tim’s British Properties home.

By Brent Mudry
eer S

Contributing Writer

Dale Paterson's lawyer pleaded for leniency
and asked a B.C. Supreme Court judge to trust
the federal parole board to do its job.

The judge sent Paterson to jail with no
chance of parole for 14 years.

Paterson; who had been charged with first-
degree murder, was convicted of second-degree
murder for clubbing and strangling to death
Scott Kraft of West Vancouver in 1993.

It took the jury over 13 hours to setde on the
second-degree verdict.

Paterson’s guilt was not in question, but his
state of mind was the key issue in ‘the three-
week trial. He made a convincing confession in
his original 9-4-1 telephone cal} shortly after
killing ‘Kratt,

Crown prosecutor Joc ‘Bellows presented

Weather

Monday: Mainly cloudy with
showers, High 13°C, low 5°C.

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

MONTESSORI MES Petits Academy students Martin Radvenis (left), Marcos
Mogyoros, Lara Wong and Alex Wheetwright learn about the art of egg painting
for Easter. The tradition of coloring the ancient symbol! of renewed life dates

back to at least the 13th century.

n WV murder
extensive evidence to’ show Paterson stalked

Kraft and planned the murder.
He noted Paterson bought a baseball bat,

and also used a rope and gloves for the killing.
Paterson ilso climbed into Kraft’s British
Properties home and hid a ladder before he
waited in ambush.

The jury, which had to reach a unanimous
decision, opted to convict Paterson of second-
degree murder. The lesser charge indicates that
at least one member of the jury did not believe
Paterson actually planned the murcer.

Defence lawyer Sheldon Goldkerg tried to
convince the jury that the ‘side-effects of
Paterson’s steroid use had driven his client into
a maniacal rage.

Paterson, who took steroids to boost his ath-
letic performance, portrayed himself as acting
as a zombie, although no direct evidence or wit-
ness supported his clainy.

Goldberg hoped to win a manslaughter con-
viction if he could prove that Paterson was not
acting with a rational mind.

But Crown prosecutor Bellows argued in his
sentencing submissions that Paterson’s mind
“was clear, rational and goal-oriented.” —

A first-degree murder. conviction carries a

66 The brutality was
completely unprovoked .. All
he had to do was just leave
the man alone, 99

— Crown Prosecutor Joe Bellows

mandatory life sentence of 25 years; a second-
degree murder conviction carries a minimum
10-year sentence before parole eligibility.

Bellows recreated the death. scene. for the
judge. “The brutality was completely: unpro-
voked ... Kraft lay and bled in at least three dif-
ferent locations before he was dragged tc. his
final resting place,” the prosecutor said. “As the
deceased fought hard to save himself, the
accused fought back harder.”

The prosecutor claimed Paterson “persisted
in some sort of obse
long after the two had parted.

“All he had to do was leave the man alone.”

ion” for Kraft’s affection,