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Surrey murderer who stabbed man during burglary dies in prison

Gary Donald Johnston was serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of Vic Fraser, a man he brutally stabbed to death in Bridgeview
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Gary Donald Johnston. (File photo)

A Surrey murderer has died in prison while serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of Vic Fraser, a man he brutally stabbed to death in Bridgeview.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 finally over for our family,害羞草研究所 the victim害羞草研究所檚 sister, Jeanie Fraser, told the Now-Leader on Thursday. 害羞草研究所淚 had the fear of him getting out.害羞草研究所

Friday will mark 25 years to the day her brother was killed.

害羞草研究所淚 just spent the morning bawling my head off. It destroyed our family.害羞草研究所

Gary Donald Johnston was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced in November 2011. The trial, in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, heard Johnston stabbed Fraser nine times, breaking off knife blades in his neck before bludgeoning him with a flowerpot, booting him in the ribs and making off with his wallet.

The court heard Fraser, a 42-year-old crane operator from New Westminster, had interrupted Johnston while Johnston was burglarizing a little yellow bungalow Fraser害羞草研究所檚 sister owned in Bridgeview on March 10, 1998. Fraser died of massive blood loss.

害羞草研究所淭he impact on family and friends has been immense,害羞草研究所 Justice Robert Crawford noted at the time. He wondered why Johnston resorted to killing the witness in cold blood when he was caught ransacking the house.

害羞草研究所淲hy not just bare-face the situation and walk out?害羞草研究所

Surrey murder victim Vic Fraser and sister Jeanie Fraser. (File photos)
Surrey murder victim Vic Fraser and sister Jeanie Fraser. (File photos)

The Correctional Service Canada issued a news release that Johnston died on Sunday, March 5 while in custody at Mountain Institution in Agassiz.

害羞草研究所淎s in all cases involving the death of an inmate, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) will review the circumstances. CSC policy requires that the police and the coroner be notified,害羞草研究所 it reads.

Jeanie Fraser noted that had Johnston not died, he was up for day parole on Sept. 24, 2023.

害羞草研究所淚 was scared,害羞草研究所 she said. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 just happy it害羞草研究所檚 over.害羞草研究所

After Vic Fraser害羞草研究所檚 death, Johnston made his way to Regina where, eight-and-a-half months later, he stabbed caretaker Wayne Griffith multiple times in the neck, wrapped his body in plastic and dumped it in a desolate field.

Originally charged with second-degree murder in that case, Johnston pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years, plus time served. He did seven.

Undercover police posing as an organized crime gang in what害羞草研究所檚 known as a 害羞草研究所淢r. Big interview害羞草研究所 approached Johnston when he was on parole and roughly 60 scenarios were enacted in Ontario and Quebec, over six months, to win his trust. The 2011 trial heard that during their last scenario Johnston told the undercover cops that he害羞草研究所檇 stabbed Fraser about 30 times in the throat, and also offered to carry out killings for the bogus crime syndicate. He was arrested immediately after that.

The killer害羞草研究所檚 life-long criminal record began at age 18 and in the years that followed he was convicted, sometimes on multiple occasions, of burglary, assault causing bodily harm and extortion, besides the Saskatchewan manslaughter conviction and his murder conviction in the Fraser case.



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

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About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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