B.C. Man Sentenced to Life for Brutal Murders of Kamloops Brothers in Drug Deal

A Naramata, B.C., man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 murders of two Kamloops brothers during a drug deal. Wade Cudmore, 35, was found guilty in September of two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Erick and Carlo Fryer.

On Tuesday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Brenda Brown handed Cudmore a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 18 years, factoring in time already served.

The sentencing follows a gruesome case in which the Fryer brothers were found shot, stabbed, and beaten in a ravine off the Naramata Forest Service Road on May 10, 2021. The brothers were killed after a drug transaction with Cudmore and a second man, Anthony Graham, who remains at large.

Victim Impact Statements

During the sentencing hearing, emotional statements were made by the Fryer family.

Jane Dela Paz, the brothers’ mother, said, "My heart is torn in a million pieces … I don’t celebrate Mother’s Day. I stay home and visit Carlo and Erick’s graves."

Carlo Fryer’s wife, Kaylee, described the devastating impact on their young daughter. "She just turned five. My daughter will never truly know who her father was," she said.

Sister Cyperuz Jade Fryer addressed Cudmore directly: "I will never know if they suffered, their last words, or if they saw each other die. There aren’t enough words to describe what you took."

Case Details

Cudmore and Graham had arranged to purchase drugs valued at nearly $250,000 from the Fryers. Evidence presented at the trial revealed that, hours before the murders, Graham purchased a 12-gauge shotgun used in the killings. Weapons found at the scene included the shotgun, a hunting knife, and a hammer bearing Cudmore’s DNA.

Crown prosecutor Alex Willms described the murders as "methodical and gratuitously violent," citing extensive injuries from post-mortem reports.

Cudmore, who had a criminal history including drug trafficking, was under bail conditions at the time of the killings. His lawyer, Jordan Watt, argued that Cudmore’s descent into crime stemmed from drug addiction after a work-related injury.

During his address to the court, Cudmore maintained his innocence, stating, "I testified that I had nothing to do with the murders … The wrongdoing was selling drugs and hanging out with Anthony."

Background and Aftermath

Cudmore’s mother, Kathleen Richardson, was murdered a month after the Fryer killings in what police have described as a drug-related crime. Two men face charges in her death.

Cudmore’s sentence reflects the minimum required for second-degree murder: life imprisonment without parole eligibility for 10 years. Justice Brown extended the period to 18 years due to the severity and circumstances of the crimes.