Kootenay man sentenced to life for killing neighbour and friend after delayed arrest

A man from B.C.’s Kootenay region has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a neighbour and a former friend in a case that raised serious questions about delays in the criminal justice and mental health systems.

Mitchell McIntyre, 66, was sentenced this week to life imprisonment for second-degree murder in the death of Julie Howe, with no chance of parole for 13 years. He also received a concurrent eight-year sentence for manslaughter in the death of David Creamer.

The sentencing brings to a close a three-year legal process stemming from the Feb. 6, 2022 killings in Creston and Kimberley, B.C.

According to court records, McIntyre went to a local police detachment the day after the killings and asked to be locked up. He was instead admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act, where he told medical staff he had killed two people.

Doctors initially dismissed his statements as delusional, noting he reported hearing voices. As a result, police were not immediately notified of the confessions in a way that triggered an arrest.

More than a month later, after police reviewed McIntyre’s medical records, he was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

By that time, critical evidence had already been lost.

Julie Howe was found dead in her bathroom in Creston, lying in a pool of blood. Her death was initially not considered suspicious, but an autopsy conducted days later revealed she had been shot in the head.

David Creamer was killed the same day at his home in Kimberley. His death was first believed to be accidental, and his body was cremated before McIntyre was arrested. As a result, no autopsy was ever performed.

Creamer’s daughter, Taylor, previously described her father as a loving parent and grandfather.

McIntyre was charged with second-degree murder in Howe’s death and manslaughter in Creamer’s. He later pleaded guilty to both charges.

The case has drawn attention to how confessions made during psychiatric care are handled, particularly when they involve serious criminal allegations, and whether systems designed to protect patients can inadvertently delay justice for victims and their families.