An American man has been brought to Canada to face charges for the murder of a 74-year-old great-grandfather at a remote highway rest stop in northern British Columbia over 20 years ago. James Daniel Morgan, already serving a sentence in the U.S. for a separate murder, appeared in a British Columbia court and pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of James Hamrick.
The victim was killed with two hammers outside his camper after offering Morgan a ride while on a road trip through Canada in September 2001. Morgan, extradited from a U.S. prison, was flown to northern British Columbia by RCMP officers and appeared in court looking frail and handcuffed.
In court, Morgan entered a plea deal, admitting guilt to manslaughter but denying first-degree murder. The agreement acknowledges his time served in the U.S., where he is serving a 48-year sentence for a previous murder in Colorado. Justice Ronald Tindale accepted the deal, sentencing Morgan to one day in a Canadian prison for Hamrick’s murder before returning him to complete his U.S. sentence.
CBC News reviewed various court documents detailing Morgan’s confessions to both murders, including the extradition requests involving the Canadian embassy and the U.S. State Department. The joint submission in court revealed details of the police investigation, shedding light on the complex case spanning two countries and two victims, a decade apart.
Investigators found that Hamrick, on a road trip from Alaska to Arizona for surgery, offered Morgan a ride, leading to the fatal encounter at the Woodpecker rest area near Prince George. Morgan’s chilling account of the attack included the use of hammers, mace, and robbery before fleeing in Hamrick’s vehicle.
The court also heard about Morgan’s confession to another murder in Denver in 1992, resulting in a 48-year sentence. The victim, Benjamin Zesch, was stabbed to death in a motel room, part of a series of attacks on gay men in the area at that time. Morgan’s apology in court and acknowledgment of responsibility for his crimes were met with emotional victim impact statements from Hamrick’s daughter, highlighting the lasting trauma and pain endured by the family.