Faro, Yukon, shooting trial begins with accused admitting to killing 2, firing gun at 4 others

A Faro, Yukon, man accused of going on a shooting spree in the town three years ago has admitted to fatally shooting two people — including his estranged wife — and firing at four others. 

Ralph Bernard Shaw's lawyer filed an admissions-of-fact document to the Yukon Supreme Court Monday, the first day of what's set to be a three-week-long judge-alone trial in Whitehorse.

Shaw, 64, faces a total of ten charges including two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder, three counts of discharging a firearm with intent to wound and one count of aggravated assault related to a shooting rampage in Faro on Oct. 26, 2021.

Saengduean Honchaiyaphum, 42, and Patrick McCracken, 73, were killed in the incident and another man was left seriously injured. 

Honchaiyaphum was Shaw's estranged wife. 

The admissions document, signed by Shaw and dated Oct. 18, states that he admits to discharging a firearm at Honchaiyaphum and McCracken and causing injuries that resulted in their deaths. He also admits to discharging a firearm "in circumstances that endangered the life" of four others and in one case, also caused a wound. 

However, while Shaw has admitted to the acts, he has not yet entered pleas — guilty or not guilty — on any of the counts against him. The document does not make any admissions about Shaw's motives or intent before or while shooting, which are key elements to the charges he faces. 

For example, under the Criminal Code, first-degree murder must be "planned and deliberate." 

While the trial was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, the proceedings actually started an hour later, with lawyers for the Crown and defence almost immediately requesting an adjournment to 12:30 p.m. 

Shaw appeared disoriented as he entered the courtroom Monday morning, with one of his lawyers telling the court that he was dealing with a back injury.

He attended the latter half of the proceedings by video call from the Whitehorse Correctional Centre.

Defence lawyer Kevin Drolet filed the admissions document after the court reconvened, but both sides then requested that the trial be adjourned for the rest of the week so that they could continue working on a second admissions document. 

The contents of that document were not disclosed, but Tom Lemon, one of two Crown attorneys on the case, told the court that they would help to further expedite the trial.

Deputy justice Elizabeth Hughes, who's presiding over the trial, consented to the adjournment.