Full parole for Kamloops man who shot friend dead on Highway 5 in 2009

Photo: Kamloops Daily News

On Feb. 15, 2009, Robert Barinecutt shot William Brent McEwan to death in this car as McEwan drove north on Highway 5 near Rayleigh.

A Kamloops man who shot and killed his friend in 2009 before a series of carjackings ended with more shots fired at a busy Brocklehurst convenience store has been granted full parole.

Muhammad Abdullah Barinecutt, also known as Robert Barinecutt, was sentenced in 2011 to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years after a B.C. Supreme Court jury found him guilty on charges of second-degree murder, kidnapping and armed robbery.

Now 76, Barinecutt was being driven by a friend on Highway 5 in the Rayleigh area on Feb. 15, 2009, when he shot him in the head. William Brent McEwan, 48, died a short time later at Royal Inland Hospital.

Court heard Barinecutt brought the red Suzuki hatchback to a stop in the ditch before commandeering a passing vehicle at gunpoint.

Barinecutt demanded that driver take him to the 7-Eleven in Brocklehurst, where he unsuccessfully attempted to carjack another vehicle. A passenger in that car suffered minor injuries when a bullet fired from Barinecutt’s pistol grazed his finger.

Court was told Barinecutt was under the influence of crack cocaine at the time of the incident. He and McEwan had been heading to a prospecting site north of the city when the shooting took place.

Granted full parole

Barinecutt was granted full parole following a hearing last week with the Parole Board of Canada.

He was granted day parole two years ago and has been a model parolee since then, according to the board, taking on a peer support role at his halfway house and navigating stressful personal circumstances without incident.

“There have been no concerns relating to anger or unchecked emotions,” the PBC decision reads.

While on full parole, Barinecutt will be prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol or drugs other than those prescribed by a doctor.

He will also be barred from associating with anyone known to be involved in criminality and required to report all relationships to his parole officer.