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The 22-year-old armoured car security guard who killed three of his colleagues was sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 40 years, the harshest penalty issued by a Canadian court since the abolition of the death penalty.

Travis Baumgartner is the first to be sentenced under a new provision of the criminal code passed by Parliament in 2011 that allows consecutive parole terms in cases involving multiple murders. Previously, these would be concurrent, meaning a criminal facing a life sentence — even one who had committed multiple murders — could apply for parole after only 25 years.

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“The message that this sends out to the families is that things have changed,” said Crown prosecutor Steve Bilodeau. “It does matter that more than one person died, and a sentence will reflect that.”

These are absolutely some of the most horrendous crimes

Calling Baumgartner a “pariah of human life,” Associate Chief Justice John Rooke accepted the sentence recommedation reached by the Crown and defence.