Sicamous Man Admits Killing 66-Year-Old Neighbour in Attack Captured on Security Camera

Sarah Desjardins

8/20/20262 min read

A Kamloops court has heard disturbing details about the killing of a 66-year-old woman in Sicamous, B.C., including security video that captured the fatal attack outside her neighbour’s home.

Scott Keith McDonald, 39, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jo Ann Jackson.

Jackson was found unresponsive in McDonald’s driveway in the early morning hours of June 19, 2024. The two lived in the same trailer park community in Sicamous.

McDonald does not dispute that he killed Jackson. His trial is instead examining his criminal responsibility and state of mind at the time of the attack.

Attack Captured on Security Camera

The trial opened Monday with video from McDonald’s own security camera being played in court.

According to evidence presented at trial, the confrontation began after Jackson knocked on McDonald’s door and asked him to turn down his music.

The encounter then escalated into a violent attack.

Court heard that McDonald repeatedly beat Jackson and used a hose to force water into her mouth, an act described during the proceedings as a form of waterboarding.

Pathologist Details Cause of Death

Forensic pathologist Dr. Farshaad Bilimoria testified Wednesday about the results of Jackson’s autopsy.

He told the court that her death resulted from a combination of injuries.

Those included blunt-force trauma and asphyxiation caused by fatal pressure applied to her neck, along with the effects of water being forced into her mouth.

Neighbour Says He Witnessed Attack

A neighbour, Erwin Nehring, testified Tuesday that he witnessed the attack from his kitchen window at approximately 3:15 a.m.

Nehring said he saw McDonald repeatedly strike Jackson with his fists.

He also testified that he had seen McDonald drinking beer throughout much of the previous day.

However, Nehring said he could not determine how much alcohol McDonald had consumed or whether he was intoxicated at the time of the attack.

Defence Raises Mental Disorder and Intoxication

McDonald is not denying that his actions caused Jackson’s death.

His defence is asking the court to consider whether he should be found not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder.

Alternatively, McDonald is arguing that he may have been too intoxicated to form the intent required for a murder conviction.

The allegations and legal defences are being considered by the court, and no final determination has yet been made.

The case is being heard by a judge without a jury.

The trial is expected to last approximately three weeks and is scheduled to resume Monday.

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