The man behind a fatal shooting in Faro, Yukon, three years ago has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Yukon Supreme Court Associate Justice Elizabeth Hughes sentenced Ralph Bernard Shaw Thursday morning in Whitehorse.

Shaw, 64, pleaded guilty this week of first-degree murder for shooting his estranged wife, Saengduean Honchaiyaphum, 42, outside her home on October 26, 2021.

The charge comes with an automatic life sentence and a 25-year ineligibility period.

Shaw also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing Patrick McCracken, 73, in the driveway of his home during the same shooting and aggravated assault for injuring Honchaiyaphum’s new partner.

Second-degree murder also comes with an automatic life sentence, but with a period of parole ineligibility that can range from 10 to 25 years.

Hughes gave Shaw 17-and-a-half years of parole ineligibility for second-degree murder – less than the 25 the Crown had asked for, but more than the 15 sought by the defence. She also sentenced Shaw to 10 years for aggravated assault, in line with the sentence sought by the defence, but four years short of the maximum allowed by law and which the Crown had sought.

The sentences will be served concurrently, with the first-degree murder sentence effectively taking precedence.

Hughes described Honchaiyaphum’s killing as a “tragic and senseless death” and noted that McCracken was killed for a “perceived slight”. Outlining the reasons for her sentencing decision, Hughes listed a dozen aggravating factors in the case, including intimate partner violence, the murders occurring within about 15 minutes and Shaw shooting Honchaiyaphum’s partner multiple times and then followed him. Shaw also showed “complete indifference” to the safety of others when he shot into buildings around the city, Hughes said, and caused serious trauma to both individuals and Faro as a whole.

The aggravating factors were somewhat mitigated by Shaw’s guilty pleas, Hughes said, which spared witnesses from having to testify at trial. Shaw’s lack of a criminal record and his various health problems were also mitigating, she said, though to a much lesser extent.

More than 20 people were in the courtroom gallery for Thursday’s decision. A number of people also watched the proceedings remotely via video link, including from Faro.

Shaw showed no visible reaction when Hughes read the decision to him, nor when he was led from the courtroom afterward.

“I feel that justice has been done today”

Speaking to CBC News after the sentencing, McCracken’s wife Barb said she felt a sense of relief.

“I’m glad it’s over and (I’m) ready to go home,” she said, remembering her husband as a “great man” who was generous and always helping others.

“I feel that justice was done today. I’m happy with the result of everything.”

Honchaiyaphum’s longtime friend Kara Went also said she was “very relieved.”

“Our biggest fear was that (Shaw) would come back and hurt more people in our community, so there is a huge sense of relief that he will probably never leave prison because of his age and health his,” Went said.

However, she also said she was sad because Honchaiyaphum had less than three months of “freedom” from Shaw before he killed her.

Shaw and Honchaiyaphum met while he was teaching in her native Thailand in the early 2000s. Went helped Honchaiyaphum leave what she described as an extremely restrictive and controlling relationship in early August 2021.

“I wish we were three years old by the time she was freed from this,” she said, describing Honchaiyaphum as “the most loving mother” and an “incredible friend” with “a sense of humor really hidden”.

“She would say things under her breath and you’re like, ‘Whoa, Sang, where did you come up with that?'” Went recalled.

“And she always apologizes for her English skills, but her English was very good and she was incredibly loving and kind.”

Went, who traveled from Faro to Whitehorse for the proceedings, spent most of her time in the courtroom gallery crocheting blankets.

She said she plans to donate Kaushee’s Place, a transitional home in Whitehorse for women, transgender people and their children, and where Honchaiyaphum sought refuge after leaving Shaw.

“I hope these blankets can go to other women who are dealing with domestic violence,” Went said.

“It felt good to keep my hands busy while I was on the court and do something nice for maybe other women who just need to feel empowered as they take the next step in their own lives.”