Killer's actions 'must be regarded as senseless… tragic and fuelled by greed,' says judge
A Manitoba man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a teenage beer store worker in the province three years ago, according to reports.
William Sampson, 54, shot and killed 19-year-old Filipino-Canadian John Lloyd Barrion in February 2022.
Barrion was found seriously injured inside the beer store on Notre Dame Avenue, where he worked, in the early morning hours of Feb. 15, 2022, following a robbery. He was taken to hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
Sampson shot Barrion through a service window of the beer vendor, according to City News.
Sampson reportedly stuck a sharpened .22 calibre rifle through the hole of the security kiosk while he and three men made demands for cash. Sampson possessing a weapon was in contravention of a court order. He was on parole at the time.
Barrion was shot “in cold blood,” Crown prosecutors said in a sentencing hearing last month, according to a previous City News report. The shots struck the victim in the lower back after the teen complied with demands from the suspects and handed over alcohol and money. Prosecutors called the crime “heinous.”
Co-accused names shooter
Co-accused Robert Francis, 40, testified that Sampson was the shooter, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. Francis was granted immunity from prosecution in return for his testimony, according to the report.
The victim was reportedly saving money for college to fulfill his dream of becoming a chef, according to ABS-CBN.
On Wednesday, Sampson was found guilty of second-degree murder, according to the Free Press. He will serve at least 15 years in custody.
“Sampson’s actions… must be regarded as senseless, violent, tragic and fuelled by greed,” Court of King’s Bench Justice Joan McKelvey said Wednesday before sentencing, according to the Free Press.
John Christian Barrion, the victim’s younger brother, expressed some positivity about the court decision.
“I’m feeling OK after three long years of waiting,” John Christian told City News after sentencing. “My brother passed away in 2022, it’s now (2025). It feels really good that there’s now some closure, and that there has been a decision of 15 years without parole.
“I think it’s fair. The Crown attorneys did argue for 18-20 years and the defence argued for 14 years. So 15 years is in the middle of those two, and I would say it’s pretty fair for us.”
