Trial begins for man charged of double murder in Saanich

Published 5:20 pm Tuesday, February 24, 2026

More than three years after a pair of homeless people were stabbed to death in Saanich, the trial got underway in Victoria court.

Cristopher Cathcart, a tall man in his late 30s, appeared in Victoria court Feb. 24 to face two counts of second-degree murder in connection to the October 2022 killings.

After sheriff’s officers removed his handcuffs, Cathcart sat alone at a small table with a laptop, legal documents and several books marked with sticky notes, all contained in a transparent plastic bag.

Self-represented in the judge-only trial and wearing a red jumper bearing the letters VIRCCC (Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre), Cathcart stood, his back rounded, as Justice Jennifer Power entered the courtroom shortly after 10 a.m. Following a brief introduction, he pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Crown prosecutors Sheila Simpson and Lorne Phipps then delivered the Crown’s opening statement, led by Simpson.

She outlined the prosecution’s case, summarizing the two killings and alleging a connection between the deaths of William “Billy” Bradshaw and Stephanie Jade Elk, both of whom were killed Oct. 19, 2022.

Bradshaw was discovered in a grassy area between Blanshard Street and Saanich Road with three stab wounds. A few hundred metres away, Elk – Cathcart’s girlfriend at the time – was found inside a home in the 3400-block of Bethune Avenue with 21 stab wounds.

Bradshaw, Elk and Cathcart were homeless at the time of the killings.

Simpson told the court the Crown alleges Cathcart killed Bradshaw first, then Elk. She said the victims’ blood and DNA were found on clothing and on a knife allegedly used in the attacks.

Simpson added that a knife was later recovered from a neighbouring yard near the Bethune Avenue crime scene and that Cathcart was arrested nearby by Saanich police.

Simpson said the Crown plans to call multiple groups of witnesses to testify in support of its timeline and its allegation that the two killings were connected.

The witness groups will include fellow unhoused individuals who knew both the victims and the accused, forensic experts, members of the Saanich Police Department and a student who lived at the Bethune Avenue residence where Elk was found.

After a short break, court resumed with its first witness, Travis Favel, an unhoused man who was a friend of Elk and an acquaintance of Bradshaw and Cathcart.

Phipps began by questioning Favel about his background and his relationship with the accused and the victims.

Favel told the court about his criminal history. In 2022, he said he made a living selling drugs and was later sentenced to two years in jail for trafficking and possessing a kilogram of fentanyl.

Phipps continued to ask about Favel’s ties to those involved. Favel said he had known Bradshaw since 2015 and reconnected with him in 2021 after moving to Victoria. He described Bradshaw as a friend.

He said he first met Elk in June 2021 and they became close, adding that he considered her “like a sister.” Favel later met Cathcart after Cathcart helped him move into a home in Esquimalt. He told the court they were “just friends.”

In the summer of 2022, Favel testified that he, Bradshaw, Elk and Cathcart – who was dating Elk at the time – were unhoused and camping at Stadacona Park in Victoria. The group eventually split up after repeated interactions with city bylaw officers, whom Favel said kept “messing” with them.

Bradshaw, Elk and Cathcart later began camping on a grassy patch of land in Saanich, where Blanshard Street splits in two south of Saanich Road – the area where Bradshaw’s body was later found.

Favel said he visited the site and saw “a bunch of camping stuff everywhere,” along with Cathcart and Elk’s pitbull, Queen, running around.

Although Cathcart and Elk were romantically involved, Favel described their relationship as rocky, marked by arguments and jealousy.

In the early morning hours of the killings, Favel told the court he saw the couple shortly after 5 a.m. while selling drugs at Centennial Square in Victoria. After they parted ways, he met Bradshaw at about 5:30 a.m., and the two walked toward Paul’s Motor Inn, formerly located at 1900 Douglas St.

Favel said it was the last time he saw Bradshaw.

The 28-day trial is set to continue Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. at B.C. Supreme Court in Victoria.