‘Flipped his switch’: Noise dispute with neighbour led to killing of B.C. grandparents, court hears

The shocking motive at play when an elderly man fatally shot his neighbours at a Chilliwack mobile home park was revealed at a sentencing hearing.

The motive behind a double killing that left two B.C. grandparents dead was a neighbour dispute over noise, according to the prosecution.

Robert Freeman, 86, pleaded guilty last week to second degree murder and the lesser charge of manslaughter in the September 2023 shooting deaths of John Kavaloff and Valerie Smith. They were killed in the mobile home park where they had been neighbours with Freeman for more than a decade.

Crown counsel Dylan Williams said in B.C. Supreme Court Monday that there “was a series of impulsive decisions made in anger that led to an escalation and disproportionate response.”

Court heard earlier than Freeman had walked next door to where Kavaloff, 58, was speaking with a friend in his driveway. Words were exchanged and then Freeman used his bolt action rifle to shoot Kavaloff in the chest. A second bullet hit Kavaloff’s partner, 67-year-old Smith. She was found dead by police inside her home.

Freeman had no previous criminal record.

Crown said Freeman later told police he was concerned about noise from Kavalof’s workshop and that when he saw Kavaloff with someone he “parties with”, it “flipped his switch.”

Freeman also told police that he couldn’t believe he shot Smith and was sorry, according to the prosecutor.

Family members who were in court for the proceedings said it was shocking to hear the apparent motive for the killings was a dispute over noise.

“It’s unbelievable. You figure, you’d go over and talk (to your neighbour) about it, instead of just going over and doing what he (Freeman) did,” said Travis Finnigan, whose parents were killed. He said Kavaloff was always asleep by 8 p.m. because he got up early for work, so if there was any noise, it didn’t go late.

The tearful daughter-in-law of the victims said in her victim impact statement that Smith had repeatedly shown kindness to Freeman, even bringing him meals. Joy Finnigan said this history added another layer of heartbreak and betrayal.

She also said the loss of her children’s grandparents “permanently changed our family and turned our lives upside down.”

At times, she looked directly at Freeman as she read her statement.

Outside court, Joy Finnigan said that court on Monday had added stress because of repeated delays by defense in starting the sentencing hearing.

“It’s so frustrating. The entire thing has been again revictimization, and it was torture. Today was torture,” she said.

Added Travis Finnigan, “It was pretty rough today. I feel like the system caters to criminals and victimizes victims over and over again. And it’s not right.”

The sentencing hearing for Freeman continues on Friday.