Ratte Found Guilty

Wednesday, November 03, 2010 05:24 PM

Prince George, B.C. - After deliberating for four hours, the jury in the Denis Ratte trial, has found Ratte guilty of second degree murder.

The 58 year old man has been found "guilty as charged" in the death of his wife, Wendy Ann Twiss Ratte.

Wendy was last seen August 18^th of 1997 in Prince George. The vehicle belonging to the 44 year old woman was abandoned in the parking lot of the former Overwaitea grocery store on Spruce Street ( now Value Village). Her remains have not been found.

The four week trial heard testimony from 16 witnesses, including 7 undercover RCMP officers.

The conviction carries an automatic "life" sentence which could see him serve 25 years before being eligible for parole unless the court decides on a shorter time for eligibility. There has yet to be a decision made on how much time Ratte must serve before being eligible for parole. The minimum is ten years. The decision on parole eligibility will be handed down by Justice Glen Parrett on December 9th. In the meantime, Ratte will remain in custody.

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Posted on Wednesday, November 03, 2010 05:24 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Slim2229 on November 3 2010 5:45 PM

Well done, boys, you can sleep good tonite.

Posted by: dudeinpg on November 3 2010 7:30 PM

It took a long time, and from the sounds of it, alot of hard work to get this guy to pay is actions. Seems to me that the RCMP are doing a hell of a lot more than just handing out traffic tickets and busting grow ops. The people who keep posting that BS, will probably find something negative to say about this too.
Great job.

Posted by: pgmatt on November 4 2010 7:01 AM

Wow. Well that wraps up a long mystery and finally some closure for the family.

Posted by: Poolchick on November 4 2010 8:15 AM

I am glad he is charged with her murder and has gotten away with it long enough. I am still surprised to see that for a murder charge he will be eligible for parole in 10 yrs. It should be his full sentence since even 25 yrs is not enough for taking someone's life. Just another fault in our justice system that needs to be corrected. People keep doing the crime knowing they will still be young enough to live their lives when they get out. Frustrating!

Posted by: ode on November 4 2010 9:57 AM

Kudos to the RCMP for their hard work!

Posted by: Give more on November 4 2010 11:02 AM

Good job well done to all of those involved. Thank you for your dedication.

Posted by: editor on November 4 2010 11:10 AM

For clarification.
Ratte's sentence is a "life" sentence. The 25 years is when he would be eligible for parole if the court doesn't agree to a shorter time for eligibility . Being eligible for parole, and getting parole are not the same thing.
If he is granted parole, his sentence is not over. If he breaches the parole at any time, (even if he has served 25 years) he will be back in the slammer.
Hope that clarifies it for everyone.

-Elaine Macdonald

Posted by: verballabel on November 4 2010 12:03 PM

If he killed his wife and has now been found guilty... Sorry Ratte you should stay behind bars for the rest of your days. No parole eligibility.

Posted by: Juror on November 4 2010 6:08 PM

And...if he gets parole and breaches any conditions, he will have to complete every day he has left in jail. No statutory release date for him.

Posted by: IAM on November 4 2010 10:10 PM

Wonderful to see the system work, and all the RCMP hours pay off. A great verdict!

To Anna and Gabriel: I cannot imagine losing both parents this way. You both have weathered too many stressful years. It must be hard not to put your mother to rest. I think I would struggle with that.

Sending thoughts and prayers your way. Thoughts and prayers that your lives are blessed a hundred fold.