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Penticton man accused in double murder pleads guilty to several other crimes

Wade Cudmore was arrested after driving a stolen car 100 km/hr down Lakeshore Drive
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Wade Cudmore (right) is seen here with his late mom Kathy Richardson in an undated photo. (Submitted)

“Sorry for being a sh—thead,” said Penticton’s Wade Cudmore when asked by the courts if he had anything to say before he was sentenced on multiple crimes he pleaded guilty to on Monday.

Cudmore, 33, is behind bars accused of the double murder of the Fryer brothers who were killed last May and found on a remote forest road in Naramata. On Monday, Cudmore was sentenced for crimes he committed prior to his arrest in the murders.

Before his sentencing, Cudmore pleaded guilty to breaching a number of release conditions, resisting arrest and fleeing police for three separate incidents between 2020 and 2021. Once he was given credit for time served, he only has a few days remaining in jail.

Crown explained the background to the charges including the time on Jan. 24, 2021, at midnight when Cudmore was driving a stolen Honda Accord down Lakeshore Drive at 100 km/h. The speed limit on Lakeshore is 30 km/h.

“The police officer activated his emergency lights but the vehicle didn’t stop. It attempted to make a turn but did a 360 in the snow instead. The driver exited the vehicle and the officer saw that it was Cudmore,” said the Crown in her submissions.

Cudmore then fled through the Japanese Gardens. Police followed his footprints over a fence and into Ellis Creek where they found him hiding.

The courts heard he did resist arrest but was taken into custody. The vehicle he abandoned was reported stolen as was the licence plate. There was also a pill bottle with suspected methamphetamine in it, said Crown. At the time of arrest, Cudmore had breached several conditions including a curfew and not operating a vehicle.

For that incident, the Crown sought and got 180 days in jail. However, with credit for 179 days in jail, Cudmore is to serve one more day for that crime.

READ MORE: Son of Naramata murder victim appears in court charged with double murder of Freyer brothers

He also pleaded guilty to another charge of breaching conditions of operating a vehicle after he was pulled over off Riverside Road driving in his late mom Kathy Richardson’s Dodge Ram.

The court heard that he abandoned the vehicle in the Days Inn parking lot and tried fleeing. When the officer attempted to handcuff him he tried to run away.

Cudmore’s mom was murdered and her body was found by police in her home. That case has not been solved. RCMP has said that the murder is connected to the Fryer brother killings.

READ MORE: Who killed Kathy Richardson?

The next police incident that Wade was involved in was on Nov. 25, 2020, at 6:40 a.m. when RCMP received a call about a vehicle running for an hour with a man passed out in the driver’s seat. When police arrived, they noted the license plate was recorded as stolen and later the vehicle was reported stolen as well. When Cudmore was woken up, the vehicle was still in drive so it started to roll.

The officer had to reach in and put it in park. Cudmore was brought into the detachment and testing revealed he was impaired by narcotics, said Crown.

Crown counsel sought 240 days in jail total for the charges he pleaded guilty to.

Cudmore’s lawyer James Pennington asked out loud how much pre-trial custody he is owed.

“It’s somewhat academic for what else he is facing in there,” said Pennington in reference to the murder charges.

Judge Greg Koturbash agreed with the Crown’s sentencing, especially in regards to the Lakeshore speeding incident.

“Perhaps you should get a bumper decal with “SH” on it (referring to Cudmore’s comment to the court). Speeding down Lakeshore at three times the speed limit and then pursued by police, I have to impose the full sentence for the seriousness of the crime,” he said.

A preliminary inquiry into the Fryer brothers’ murders is set for Sept. 26 to 29 with a pre-trial conference on June 2, 2023.

Cudmore’s co-accused in the murders, Anthony Graham remains at large.

A few months ago, Prince George RCMP put out a missing person release about Graham not mentioning he was wanted in a double murder here in Penticton.

READ MORE: Police issue missing person report, fail to mention he’s wanted on double murder



Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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