‘No way to replace a life’: Travis Jean sentenced to life for murder of Gregory Cope

It was Jean.

“Cold blooded killers can be amongst our community and look no different than anyone else,” said Dillabough.

Gregory Cope had two children. (Facebook)

On Thursday, at Court of King’s Bench in Battleford and before a gallery filled with only family members of the deceased, Jean was handed a life sentence for second degree murder, without any chance of parole for 10 years. With credit for time spent in remand, he has roughly 8.5 years left.

It was the result Cope’s family expected.

“There’s no way to replace a life,” said Katrina Peters, mother to Cope’s eldest son, who is now 16.

Standing outside the courthouse, she explained that while there’s isn’t a ‘good sentencing,’ it isn’t solving the problem.

“It’s going to affect my son for years to come and it was a traumatic experience not for just me but my son as well.”

During the hearing, presided over by Justice Krista Zerr, Crown Prosecutors Brynn Achtymichuk, whose co-chair was Jennifer Schmidt presented the statement of facts.

The gallery heard that the last time Cope was seen was on surveillance video at a fast-food restaurant just after 2 a.m. on Feb.18, 2023 and that he and the accused had known each other for 15 years.

That same night, he died.

“Cope had been shot in the head with a .22 calibre bullet,” said Achtymichuk.

Afterwards, the house on 27th Street in Battleford in which he had been killed was deliberately set on fire and Achtymichuk noted once the remains had been found, the coroner had discovered soot in his lower airway and a carboxyhemoglobin level that suggested he was still alive after he was shot.

“Jean then lit Cope’s body afire and lit the porch of the house on fire. The neighbours saw the fire…and at 3:30 a.m. called the fire department,” he said, adding that the remains were found nine days later in the debris.

Prior to Cope’s death, his other roommate and Jean’s girlfriend had told Jean that Cope had taken out a life insurance policy on himself and she was the beneficiary. She had also told him that Cope been charged but not convicted of a sexual offence against a child.

A month before he died, Cope had told a friend of his that Jean had taken some of his weapons, including a .22 calibre rifle and wouldn’t give it back. Jumping ahead in the timeline, Achtymichuk said that in the spring of 2023, after meeting a woman in a Lloydminster bar before ending up at her place for a few days, Jean told her he had killed a pedophile after saying he had found evidence in Cope’s room.

Following the statement of facts, a couple members of Cope’s family had a chance to read their victim impact statements.

“God is supposed to decide where we go and how when go,” Peters read.

“Whatever the circumstances may have been, it’s not up to you to decide if he should stay or go. We are all human and we all make mistakes in our lives,” we should never have to go out the way Gregory did.”

As statements were read, though sniffling could be heard periodically throughout the gallery, the courtroom remained quiet and Jean, for his part, dressed in a grey tracksuit, took in the proceedings silently from the box in which he sat.

When Defence Council James Struthers spoke, it was to share some of Jean’s life story. He said that Jean was currently 36 and the father of four daughters. He grew up in Alberta, worked in the oil patch and until 2019, lived a crime-free life.

“He indicates to me again that he was affected profoundly by the death of his grandfather in 2018,” he said.

“It was a situation where, certainly, he felt – sort of – the bottom had dropped out.”

Finally, the moment came for Jean to speak.

“There’s really not much I can say,” he said.

“No matter what I say, I can’t take back what I did.

Jean told the court that he felt remorse and regret for his actions, accepts responsibility and doesn’t expect forgiveness from the family.

“It’s just a decision that I made that’s completely the wrong one.”

Justice Zerr thanked him for his statement then addressed the room – particularly those who gave impact statements.

“Your words deepen our understanding of how violent crime affects people and how it affects communities,” she said.

“I will sentence Mr. Jean and we will all leave this courtroom at some point today, but your words go with us.”

Speaking outside the courthouse, Schmidt said it was “very horrific set of facts” and a case that captured the community.

“Being able to get a life sentence on any file is significant and so, the result today I think is a good one for everyone to move forward from,” she said.

Meanwhile, the family struggles with how to move forward. Randy Cook, Cope’s stepfather said Cope’s youngest son lived with him and they shared a close bond.

“He’s having a hard time dealing with this,” he said, noting the boy’s mother died seven months later.

“This is something that’s going to affect him the rest of his life.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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by Julia Lovett-Squires

‘No way to replace a life’: Travis Jean sentenced to life for murder of Gregory Cope

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