Robert Travers convicted of second-degree murder in Victoria double stabbing

A judge‑only trial in British Columbia concluded with Robert Travers being found guilty of second‑degree murder for a double stabbing that took place in downtown Victoria on March 31, 2024. Travers attacked 21‑year‑old Jayden Gauthier outside the Ocean Island Inn on Pandora Avenue, stabbing him at least ten times, including a fatal wound to the heart. After the killing, Travers fled to the hostel lobby where he stabbed an employee multiple times before being restrained and arrested.

Justice Veronica Jackson rejected Travers’s self‑defence claim, describing his response as “grotesquely out of proportion” and “wildly unreasonable.” In addition to the murder conviction, Travers pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for the attack on the hostel employee. Sentencing for the assault is set for October, with sentencing for the murder charge to follow later.