A B.C. Supreme Court judge has sentenced a man convicted in the “savage” slayings of two brothers in Naramata drug-related killings to life in prison without parole eligibility for 18 years.

Wade William Cudmore, 35, was convicted in October of second-degree murder by a jury in the May 10, 2021 deaths of Erick and Carlo Fryer. “Two victims were killed in a brutal, gratuitous fashion,” Justice Brenda Brown said Tuesday, as Cudmore attended by video from prison. “The deaths of the Fryer brothers have had a devastating impact on their family,” Brown said.

At times, Cudmore, who was born in Burnaby but grew up in the Okanagan, sat with his head down; at others, he fidgeted with his hands as he sat in a small room clad in red prison sweatpants and top. On Nov. 18, he told Brown he was sorry the brothers had been murdered and was sorry for their family.

“I had nothing to do with the murders,” he then said. “My story’s not going to change.” Brown said she was satisfied the jury concluded Carlo Fryer and Erick Fryer were attacked and killed by co-accused Anthony Graham and Cudmore.

She said the Kamloops brothers suffered “extreme injuries.” She said Carlo suffered a chop wound to the head which penetrated his brain while Erick was the victim of a shotgun blast at close range. She said the jury “clearly rejected” Cudmore’s evidence that he had not participated in the killings, that it was Graham alone.

Brown said it was not plausible that Graham could k.