The family of Mark "Chico" Baptiste is torn up that a jury gave a verdict of manslaughter, not murder, to his killers.
"There's no justice whatsoever. But their makers will meet them," said Carlene Joe, who is Baptiste's cousin by blood and was raised as his sister.
Baptiste, 40, was severely beaten outside a Sechelt crack house January 15, 2002. He died of head injuries a week later.
Two men from Abbotsford who ran the crack house, Eric Henderson, 31, and Jason Donald Richer, 24, were charged with second-degree murder. After a month-long trial in B.C. Supreme Court, on April 18 the jury found both men guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
An undercover officer, who played the role of a crime boss known as "Mr. Big" in an elaborate RCMP sting operation, testified Richer confessed to kicking and punching Baptiste. The undercover investigation also caught Henderson discussing the Baptiste killing on audiotape.
Henderson, a Tai Kwon Do black belt, testified in his own defense, saying he had been hired by a man he met in prison to run the Sechelt crack house more efficiently.
He told the court that he beat and kicked Baptiste out of frustration because Baptiste repeatedly banged on the door and demanded free cocaine. He said he and Richer had been drinking heavily all that day and had no intention of killing Baptiste.
Joe was in court to hear the detailed and often gruesome evidence about her foster brother's death. She said the one time she lost her composure was "when Eric Henderson called [Baptiste] a piece of shit."
"I totally lost it," said Joe. "We came back and went for a spirit bath the next day, up at the falls."
Joe described Baptiste as a kind and loving man who went through detox several times but never managed to quit his addiction.
"He protected me and watched over me through my whole childhood," said Joe. "He loved his family very much When this is all over, we'll finally put him to rest."
Joe said Baptiste is survived by two brothers, his 11-year-old son and many members of his extended family.
Henderson and Richer will be sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court May 21. Joe said she and other family members will be in court to testify with victim impact statements.
"We'll be telling those criminal-minded men about what they've done to us as a family and a community," said Joe.
"My nephew is without a father, we are without a brother, and my auntie is without a nephew."
Much of the defense evidence focused on Henderson and Richer's drunkenness at the time of the crime. Joe feels the two men "got off because they were under the influence."
"They're telling people to go out and get drunk and commit murder, and they'll get away with it," said Joe.
After Baptiste's death, Joe established a "Chico memorial fund" at the Sunshine Coast Credit Union to help "anyone who is struggling with their addiction and finances are getting in their way." She said the fund has paid for several Sechelt women to attend Narcotics Anonymous retreats in Squamish and provided food money for a man attending the treatment program at Vancouver Bay, but the fund, administered by Carlene Joe, Ben Pierre Jr. and Charlotte Mallory, now sits empty.
