B.C. man who murdered wife and son gets ‘below normal’ sentence due to Indigenous heritage

Article content

Coval also noted  a “further exacerbating factor is Mr. Dennis’s prior record of violence toward his family members.”

Article content

The facts of the case are as follows.

Article content

On April 9, 2024, several family members were at the Dennis home having dinner, when Orlan and his brother, Tony, got into an argument. Orlan left, returning later. He and Darlene then started arguing and he accused her cheating on him. He got a .22 calibre rifle from a gun safe in their bedroom, returned to the living room where he shot Darlene in the face, just below her left eye.

Article content

Their son, Dorian, was downstairs at the time and ran upstairs when he heard the gunshot. Orlan shot him as he came up the stairs. Another son, Marshall, was downstairs in his room and overheard all this. He came out to see Dorian covered in blood at the bottom of the stairs. He helped Dorian to the stairs leading to the basement back door, but the door wouldn’t open, so he left Dorian on the stairs, escaped through his bedroom window and ran to his grandmother’s across the street, where the police were called.

Article content

Orlan left his home and went to his mother’s with the gun. The police arrived to find him on the steps. They told him he was under arrest and to drop the gun, but Orlan refused.

Article content

Article content

“He was waving the rifle frantically, trying to get inside (his mother’s home). He was swearing and clearly intoxicated, slurring his words and staggering,” according to the facts, as described in the sentencing decision. Orlan then entered his mother’s home and while a police officer watched it, other officer went to the Dennis home where Darlene and Dorian’s bodies were found.

Article content

Orlan engaged in a standoff with police for several hours, refusing to leave. Eventually, an RCMP crisis negotiator called the house and Orlan answered. “He told the crisis negotiator that he had killed his wife and son. He said they were planning to kill him, and that his wife was cheating on him. He said he did not mean to do that to his son, but Dorian came up on him too fast and by the time he realized it was him, it was too late,” states the sentencing decision.

Article content

Police then launched tear gas into the home, which led to Orlan leaving, but he was carrying the rifle, later found to contain multiple rounds of ammunition. Police shot him in the hip and arm before arresting him.

Article content

Five family members provided victim impact statements that were read out in court. The statements set out damage to their physical and mental health, personal relationships, ability to work, and hopes for the future, wrote Justice Coval.

Article content

Article content

He also noted that Dennis had a lengthy criminal record, including convictions for multiple assaults against his wife and daughters.

Article content

However, the Indigenous sentencing report mentioned difficulties with depression and anxiety and possible fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, noted Coval. There were family deaths and the closure of a support group during COVID-19. “As a result of all,” he wrote, “(Dennis) stopped working and turned to drugs.”

Article content

Coval sentenced Dennis to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 10 years. Dennis was also ordered to provide a DNA sample and prohibited from possessing several types of weapons for the rest of his life.

Article content

Finally, he was ordered not to have contact of any kind with close family members.

Article content

Article content