Trigger Warning – The following article may be distressing for some readers
With bail reforms rolling out from the Federal Government, along with a particular emphasis on stronger sentences for violent repeat offenders, Skeena MLA Claire Rattée had asked Premier David Eby during today’s Question Period to explain the lack of action in prosecuting the man arrested for the 2023 murder of Kitselas teen, Sebastian Moore.
‘Last year, 19-year-old Sebastian Moore from the Kitselas Nation was murdered. The RCMP recommended charges but the Crown refused to prosecute, not even for Manslaughter. The man responsible is a dangerous repeat offender with a record of violent assaults that have resulted in hospitalization.’ – Skeena MLA Claire Rattée recapping Moore’s case during today’s Question Period
As MLA Rattée asked if Attorney General Niki Sharma would visit the Skeena region to provide an explanation on how no charges had been approved in the case, she had also recounted a recent conversation she had with the grandmother of Sebastian Moore.
‘Sebastian’s grandmother, Debbie, asked me something that no grandmother should ever have to ask. She said, ‘I saw on the news that someone in BC is being prosecuted for beating a dog… Why is a dog’s life more important than my grandson’s?” – Skeena MLA Claire Rattée recounting a conversation with Debbie Moore
In response, Premier Eby quickly quipped that the case sounded devastating to those involved, before adding that the Province’s Attorney General, Niki Sharma, would likely be open to a conversation about it.
‘This sounds like a devastating case, I am sure the Attorney General and her team would be happy to meet with the member to discuss it. In British Columbia we do have a model where Crown Counsel reviews investigations done by police and makes decisions on charges.’ Premier David Eby’s response to MLA Rattée’s line of questioning
The House then devolved into a shouting match across the floor as Premier Eby focused his response on the Conservative’s approach to firearms enforcement and their emphasis on community safety talking points, with the matter of Moore’s murder not being referenced again.
Then 17-year-old Sebastian Moore, still a high-school student at the time, had been stabbed to death during an altercating near the outskirts of Terrace in November of 2023. RCMP had quickly made an arrest in relation to the case, but the man they had taken into custody was released a short time later with no charges laid.
While exact details on what happened that day remain vague, there was no indication that firearms had been involved in any official RCMP release on the matter. Sebastian Moore’s family continues to seek justice for his death.
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