B.C. prisoner who killed 2 in 'obsession' case will serve shorter sentence due to medical condition

A Metro Vancouver man convicted of multiple counts of murder had five years shaved off his initial sentence due to his medical condition, the provincial Court of Appeal ruled this week.

A Metro Vancouver man convicted of multiple counts of murder had five years shaved off his initial sentence due to his medical condition, the provincial Court of Appeal ruled this week.

Maurio Salehi appeared before a panel of appellant court judges Tuesday, after appealing his initial sentence of 20 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

The appearance was nearly three years after Salehi pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder.

The case was described by the court as "a brutal stabbing of defenceless victims" and a "product of obsession," and Salehi was initially charged with first-degree murder.

Salehi admitted to his role in the 2015 deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Iryna Gabalis, and a friend, Dmitri Faktorovski, who was visiting from Israel. His initial sentencing judge called the killings "horrendous," and said the deaths appeared to be tied to his obsession with his former domestic partner. Both were killed in Gabalis's home at night.

Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence in B.C., but parole eligibility in each case is determined by the sentencing judge. Salehi was told he'd need to serve 20 years before potentially being let out on parole.

That decision was appealed by the defendant, whose legal team argued among other things that his medical condition should have been more of a factor in his initial sentence. His team also claimed the sentencing judge "overemphasized the appellant's moral blameworthiness" and the gravity of the offence.