A 25-year-old individual named Zain Xavier Wood has been convicted of first-degree murder by a B.C. Supreme Court Justice for the fatal stabbing of a mother in Prince George, B.C. in 2023. The court ruled in favor of Crown prosecutors, confirming that 22-year-old Isabelle Thomas was intentionally killed in her residence at the Alpine Village townhouse complex in Prince George, in front of her two young daughters. Wood, who had a brief relationship with Thomas in 2019, entered the townhouse for about 35 seconds and fatally stabbed Thomas 16 times on the second floor. The judge described the attack as brutal, sustained, and conclusive, leading to the conclusion that Wood had a specific intent to kill her.
During the trial, Wood initially pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder but admitted to stabbing Thomas, claiming it was accidental. He stated that he went to her home to steal a PlayStation 4 gaming console and attacked her when startled. The court dismissed Wood’s testimony as a poorly constructed web of lies to avoid criminal responsibility. Despite Wood’s claims of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs during the incident, the judge found inconsistencies in his story and rejected his defense’s argument for a manslaughter charge, determining the murder to be planned and deliberate.
Wood had visited Thomas’s residence on multiple occasions before the fatal incident, with the court concluding that his actions demonstrated premeditation rather than impulsive behavior. The sentencing hearing for Wood is scheduled for November 27.