Dad killer should serve 13-year term
Prosecutor cites aggravating factors in case
A Vancouver man who murdered his father following a dispute over the son’s purchase of a Ferrari should spend 13 years behind bars before he can apply for parole, a prosecutor argued Wednesday.
On June 30, after several days of deliberations, a B.C. Supreme Court jury found Alexander Shevalev guilty of the March 2015 second-degree murder of 80-year-old Vladimir Shevalev in the dad’s highrise apartment in Coal Harbour.
Before the murder, the son, who was 19 years old at the time, had stolen or misappropriated more than $100,000 from his father’s bank account and had used the money to buy a used Ferrari.
When the dad, a businessman who came to Canada from Russia, discovered the money was missing and that the vehicle had been purchased, he demanded that it be returned.
The Crown’s theory was that during an argument that ensued, the son choked his father to death from behind and with the assistance of a friend, then placed his body on his bed to try to create an impression that the dad had died of natural causes.
The accused left the apartment and then accompanied the friend to a strip club, where he snorted cocaine.
At trial, Shevalev claimed he was acting in self-defence but the jury rejected that argument.
Second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no parole eligibility of between 10 and 25 years.
In sentencing submissions Wednesday, Crown counsel Geordie Proulx argued that given the fact that there were a significant number of aggravating factors, the accused should get 13 years of parole ineligibility.
He pointed to the fact that the son had murdered an elderly and vulnerable man who was suffering from long-standing heart problems.
Also aggravating was that it happened in the context of a family relationship and involved a breach of trust, Proulx told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Wedge.
“The murder was committed in an attempt to gain unimpeded use of the Ferrari or to preserve title to it,” said Proulx. “This benefits the accused materially and financially. It was just an impulsive act, to get the car.”
Proulx said the mitigating factors included the youth of the accused, his lack of a criminal record and his apparently good prospects for rehabilitation.
He read out in court a victim impact from Viacheslav Shevalev, the son of the victim who is also the half-brother of the accused.
“My father’s death turned out to be a heavy blow for me,” said the half-brother’s statement.
“He used to be my only close person from the first circle of relatives. My father was the only person I could discuss personal matters with and he always gave me his advice and support in hard moments.”
The half-brother said that his children had lost a “wonderful” grandfather who could teach them and show them a lot.
“Me and my cousin brother, Sergei Kornev, are still hiding the circumstances of his death from my father’s own sister, Nina Kornev. As we understand that she may not physically survive the shock and could die.”
During the trial the defence argued that the accused was the victim of serious physical abuse at the hands of his father, but Viacheslav Shevalev said in his statement that he’d never seen the dad raise a hand against the accused. Sergei Konev also provided a victim impact statement.
The judge said she would impose sentence Friday.