A 25-year-old man named Zain Xavier Wood has been found guilty of first-degree murder by a B.C. Supreme Court Justice for fatally stabbing a mother in front of her two children in Prince George, B.C., in 2023. Justice Michael Tammen concurred with Crown prosecutors that 22-year-old Isabelle Thomas was deliberately and intentionally murdered in her residence at the Alpine Village townhouse complex in Prince George, with her six-year-old and six-month-old daughters present.
During the trial, it was revealed that Wood entered the townhouse for about 35 seconds and attacked Thomas on the second floor, stabbing her 16 times. Describing the assault as brutal, sustained, and lethal, Tammen expressed certainty that Wood had a specific intent to kill her. Thomas, a member of the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation and a dietary aide from Prince George, had a brief relationship with Wood in 2019, as per an agreed statement of facts.
At the trial’s onset, Wood pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder but admitted to fatally stabbing Thomas, claiming he did not intend to kill her. He alleged that he went to her home to steal a PlayStation 4 gaming console and stabbed her in a moment of surprise. Tammen dismissed Wood’s testimony as a collection of lies aimed at avoiding accountability for his actions, stating that it was implausible that he targeted the house for theft.
Wood also asserted that he was under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine, experiencing paranoia and auditory hallucinations during the incident. However, Tammen dismissed these claims, citing inconsistencies in the evidence and the absence of drug-related items in Wood’s residence. The judge concluded that there was substantial evidence demonstrating that Wood premeditated and planned the attack over a week, leading to a verdict of first-degree murder.
Wood admitted to visiting Thomas’s condo complex on two other occasions in July 2023, including observing her boyfriend and disabling her doorbell camera. Tammen rejected Wood’s explanation that these actions were related to a potential break-in, asserting that Wood was deliberately minimizing the chances of being identified. A sentencing hearing date is to be determined on Nov. 27.
