Peter Beckett found guilty of murdering his wife near Shelter Bay

Peter Beckett has been found guilty of murdering his wife Laura Letts-Beckett, who drowned near Shelter Bay in August of 2010. Justice Allison Beames sentenced Beckett to 25 years to life with no parole eligibility for 25 years.

In August 2010, Peter’s wife Laura Letts-Beckett drowned in the Upper Arrow Lake near Shelter Bay while out boating with her husband. The couple were Alberta residents at the time.

The incident was initially reported as an accidental drowning by the Revelstoke RCMP, who responded to the scene.

However, Beckett was eventually charged with murder following inquiries from concerned family members.

This eventually led to a trial in Kamloops in 2016, which ended after four months when the jury could not reach a decision.

The case was heard again in Kelowna, and following five days of jury deliberation, the jury returned their verdict on Saturday.

Crown counsel argued that Beckett pushed his wife off their small fishing boat and then watched as she thrashed in the water and eventually drowned. The prosecutor argued that Beckett’s motive was to cash in on Letts-Beckett’s life insurance policy.