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THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2006

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Pair Two still missing after disaster found `Reckless heroics' save survivors after B.C. ferry sinks guilty
by PAUL STRICKLAND Citizen staff A six-man, six-woman jury found Ricky John Smith, 22, guilty Wednesday of second-degree murder and Cameron A l e x a n d e r M i l l e r, 2 0 , g u i l t y o f manslaughter in the death of Brent Melanson, 20, in the fall of 2004. Smith at first looked ahead stoically, but then bent forward and gently bumped his head against the inside of the prisoner's box a couple of times as the verdict was read. Miller looked straight ahead. Exclamations of "Yes!" came from a group of young women who held hands and cried tears of joy as the verdict was read. "I think this is a just verdict," said Melanson's aunt, Shirley Coupal. "It's something we've prayed for -- that we would receive justice. I feel we have received justice with this verdict. "Hopefully we will with sentencing as well. I hope this will help the family move forward from this tragedy." Proceedings will resume today to fix a date for sentencing. Mr. Justice Ian Meiklem ordered Smith, who had been out under bail conditions, taken into custody. Miller has been in custody since last June. The judge then asked the jury to retire again and consider whether Smith should serve a greater length of time than the minimum 10 years, up to 25 years, before becoming eligible for parole. After about 15 minutes the jurors came back into the courtroom and announced they had no recommendation. "Justice has been served," a young woman said as she passed by Smith, who was still seated in the prisoner's box as court emptied. Police and ambulance personnel found Melanson suffering from a cut to the throat and other wounds received in an altercation outside a fast-food restaurant in the 1300 block of Third Avenue during the early morning hours of Oct. 30, 2004. He died in hospital soon after. The sequestered jury began deliberations Tuesday just before 3 p.m. and delivered its verdict just over 24 hours later.

Canwest News/CP photos; Citizen graphic by Dawn Boudreau

The B.C. Ferry, Queen of the North, is nudged into the dock at Victoria's Ogden Point, top. The ferry sunk Wednesday morning near the coastal village of Hartley Bay, map, right. Around 100 passengers and crew were saved despite the disaster, including this family who are shown exiting Prince Rupert's cruise ship terminal, above. However two passengers remain missing.

PRINCE RUPERT (CP) -- Passengers on an overnight B.C. ferry were torn from their sleep Wednesday morning and thrown into a living nightmare, evacuating onto lifeboats that tossed and swayed on stormy seas for more than an hour as the Queen of the North disappeared "like the Titanic." Ninety-nine passengers and crew were accounted for, saved by the efficiency of coast guard rescuers and the reckless heroics of a local aboriginal band. But B.C. Ferries was unable to find two passengers, although the pair were seen on land after the rescue. Ferries handed the file over to the RCMP as a missing persons case, saying Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette may have attempted to find their own way back to Prince Rupert from the remote "To see all these aboriginal community of Hartley people coming off Bay. the rescue boats Foisy's brother, George said the . . . the young and passenger head old, the scared, count at Hartley shocked look on Bay numbered 63 their faces, young -- t wo s h o r t -- despite a fellow children with no traveller's initial shoes." claim he saw the middle-aged cou-- Ernie Westgarth, ple in the village. resident, Hartley Bay "He thought he got a glimpse of them and just thought `Wow, they're OK,"' said Foisy, who saw the couple board the ferry for their holiday trip south. "Now he's not so sure. I'm thinking positive. I'm hoping they're alive and doing well." It was an even stranger twist in a day that began for those aboard with a crashing noise, then another, then sirens. "Within an hour, the ship actually tilted to the side, levelled out and it sunk down to the sixth deck, came back up like the Titanic, dipped and then it went under," said passenger Lawrence Papineau. Another passenger reported the ship split in half. Douglas Rice, 74, was on the ship with his wife on a vacation from London. An alarm went off and "we were all just sort of pulled out of the cabins." -- See RESCUERS page 3; editorial, page 4; related stories page 5

P.G. woman denied in Miss Universe Canada pageant
the most disappointment, though. by FRANK PEEBLES "A lot of very pretty girls spent a lot Citizen staff Melissa Dillman of Prince George of time talking about hair and makewas not crowned Miss Universe Cana- up and not about Canadian issues, da this week. which was a bit disappointing," she T h a t h o n o u r w e n t t o A l i c e said. "A lot of young women there Panikian, a 20-year-old student at didn't take themselves very seriously and that was hard to swalYork University in Toronto. Nonetheless, Dillman "A lot of very low. But it was still a lot of fun." said she had a terrific time pretty girls One of the highlights for m e e t i n g n e w p e o p l e , spent a lot of learning the culture of Dillman was meeting Natime talking talie Glebova, the reigning Montreal over the twoabout hair and Miss Canada who went on week pageant process, and make-up and to win the Miss Universe a c qu i r i n g n ew e x p e r i ences. title last year. not about T h e p a ge a n t w a s b e "My favourite part was Canadian t we e n 5 2 wo m e n f r o m being on stage. I have nevissues ..." across the country. Diller been a performer be-- Melissa man was one five British fore and it was a lot of fun. Dillman Columbians who lasted I felt like I was in my elethrough a series of regionment," said the 20-yearold College of New Caledonia stu- al auditions earlier in the year and dent. "My family was t here, my wo n t h e r i g h t t o r e p r e s e n t t h e boyfriend Kyle, and my best friend province. Details on the event can be found at Gina. Every time I went on stage it was hard not to laugh because they www.beautiesofcanada.com. were standing up screaming for me." "It will be nice to be home. I really Dillman said it was not the fact she miss Prince George," Dillman said. did not win the title that caused her She remains in Montreal until Friday.

High : 12 Low : 5 page 2

INDEX
Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . 16 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Business . . . . . . . . . . . 22-24 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . . . 3, 5, 13 Classifi ed . . . . . . . . . . . 18-21 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Entertainment . . . . . . 16, 17 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 15

Photo courtesy of www.beautiesofcanada.com

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Prince George's Melissa Dillman didn't secure the Miss Universe Canada crown this week but the 20-year-old CNC student said she enjoyed performing on stage.

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