Charles Shatford and Donald Walker were found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in Saint John on Thursday afternoon.
Shatford, 49, and Walker, 52, were charged with the Aug. 17, 2022, murder of Justin Breau, 39.
The jury sent word just before 2 p.m. on Thursday that they had reached a verdict — after nearly 11 hours, over two days, of deliberations.
Walker showed no emotion when the verdict was read, while Shatford loudly expelled a held breath when he was declared guilty by the jury foreperson.
That brings to six the total number of people convicted in Breau’s death.
Four others were previously sentenced after pleading guilty to a variety of lesser charges. All were initially charged with first-degree murder.
Justin Breau was stabbed to death on Aug. 17, 2022. (Justin Breau/Facebook)
Throughout the trial, the jury heard references to a third man in the apartment with Shatford and Walker, but they didn’t hear his name or what role he was alleged to have played. That man was Evan Louis Tobias.
In August, less than a month before the trial began, Tobias, 30, was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in Breau’s death. Tobias admitted going into Breau’s apartment and stabbing him in the leg multiple times.
In May, Donald Walker’s 26-year-old son, Dustin Trey Walker-Hammond, was sentenced to two years less a day for manslaughter for his role.
In April, Travis Earl Boudreau, 34, and Sarah Jean Belzil, 37, pleaded guilty to being accessories. They were both given a one-year conditional sentence to be served in the community. Boudreau had spent 22 months in jail awaiting trial and Belzil 7½ months.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 18. to allow time for victim impact statements to be prepared. Both men waived pre-sentence reports.