Canada News (Embed only)Sentencing hearings were paused Wednesday for a B.C. man found guilty of manslaughter in the 2017 killing of Chelsey Gauthier. The defendant chose to exert his right to obtain a report based on his claim of Indigenous heritage. Garry Donald Losch, 70, seeks Gladue report based on Indigenous heritage claimKier Junos · CBC News · Posted: Dec 04, 2025 1:08 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Gary Donald Losch, 70, covers his face as he walks around the Abbotsford Courthouse with his defence counsel during a lunch break on Dec. 2, 2025. (Kier Junos/CBC)Sentencing hearings were paused Wednesday for a B.C. man found guilty in the 2017 death of Chelsey Gauthier, because the defendant chose to exert his rights to obtain a report based on claims of his Indigenous heritage.B.C. Supreme Court Justice S. Dev Dley said Gary Donald Losch, 70, has the right to seek a Gladue report if he claims to have Indigenous heritage.“I appreciate the frustration that everybody must feel,” Dley said to the courtroom in Abbotsford, which was filled with Gauthier’s family and friends.“This is not an easy exercise for anyone, coming to court to relive what’s happened. But we must make sure justice is done properly. You can’t rush it.”On Saturday, Sep 10, 2022 police announced that Gary Losch had been arrested and charged in relation to the homicide of 22-year-old Chelsey Gauthier from 2017. Losch was 62 at the time of the death. (IHIT)According to the B.C. First Nations Justice Council, judges have a duty to review Gladue reports, which outline systemic or background factors that may have contributed to bringing a person before the court.Losch’s defence counsel said the defendant has acknowledged not having an ongoing connection to an Indigenous community, and his claims amount to his own assertions.The process to write the report may take around eight weeks.“It’s very frustrating especially when we’ve been waiting so long over the last eight years just to hear about anything, and we’re not going to,” said Jeremiah Gauthier, Chelsey’s brother.Losch was found guilty of manslaughter and indignity to human remains in July 2025. He was initially charged with second degree murder and interference with a dead body in Sept. 2022.Chelsey Gauthier poses for a picture for her friend Kasadee York in June 2017. (Kasadee York)Friends and family read victim impact statements on Tuesday as Losch watched from his glass booth.“We’re left with a deep pain that never fades,” said Amanda Gauthier, Chelsey’s cousin, from the stand.Chelsey was 22 years old when she was killed.“I turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain,” said Jeremiah. “I didn’t know how to face the world without my sister.”“I never imagined that she would die so young,” said Kristin Lecuyer, on behalf of Blake Gauthier, Chelsey’s sister.“Many times I felt it should’ve been me instead of her. Chelsey had so much to live for. Her art, her kids, her creativity.”Chelsey Gauthier’s body was found Aug. 16, 2017, near Mission, B.C. (Abbotsford Police Department)Losch, who was unreactive during the first few statements, eventually began to weep as Lecuyer read statements on behalf of Chelsey’s two children, other family members and friends.On Wednesday, Losch’s lawyers started the hearing by saying Losch had made an admission, and wished to apologize to the family at the end of sentencing and accept responsibility for the offence.But with proceedings paused, that didn’t happen.“Crown is asking for 14 years in jail. Mr. Losch says eight to ten years. Probably ten,” Dley said.Speaking to the possibility of proceeding without a Gladue report, he said “I’m not so sure that I’m prepared to bypass Mr. Losch’s right for a Gladue report … when he’s going to spend the next eight to ten to 14 years of his life in jail.”Gauthier was reported missing to the Abbotsford Police Department by her family on July 30, 2017.Just over two weeks later, her body was discovered near Sylvester Road and Dale Road northeast of Mission, B.C., about 70 kilometres east of Vancouver.ABOUT THE AUTHORKier is an award-winning journalist reporting from CBC’s Fraser Valley bureau in Abbotsford.With files from Chad Pawson
Sentencing hearing paused as B.C. man convicted in Chelsey Gauthier’s death seeks Gladue report
