Nanaimo man pleads guilty to second-degree murder of woman in Brentwood Bay

A Nanaimo man has pleaded guilty to killing a 20-year-old woman in Brentwood Bay in 2019.

Alan Charles Chapman entered a guilty plea in B.C. Supreme Court in Victoria on Tuesday to second-degree murder in the death of Emily Caruana, 20. He had been facing charges of first-degree murder.

Chapman also pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault of John Caruana, Emily’s uncle, and her boyfriend, Justin Booth, on the same day. The men were seriously injured.

A date for sentencing will be set Aug. 24.

Police did not release details of the May 11, 2019, incident at the time other than to say that a “violent struggle” took place and that it was not random. The Vancouver Island Integrated Crime Unit investigated.

Emily Caruana was from the Lower Mainland and family said at the time that she had been visiting her grandmother for Mother’s Day.

A friend who worked with her at a Save-On-Foods supermarket said she was kind and loving, and someone who would help others in need.

Chapman’s connection to the family has not been made public.