Man Convicted in Decades-Old Cold Case Dies While Incarcerated

Steven Frank Laroche, a name long etched into the annals of a cold case that finally saw justice, has passed away while serving his sentence at Mission Institution in British Columbia. The Correctional Service of Canada confirmed his death, which occurred on September 11, 2026, though they didn't specify the cause. It's a somber close to a life marked by significant criminal acts and a protracted legal journey.

For many, Laroche's name became synonymous with the tragic and brutal killing of Vicki Black. You see, it was back on March 4, 1993, when Vicki's body was discovered in a dumpster on Hastings Street, right in Vancouver's bustling Downtown Eastside. It was a harrowing scene, one that haunted investigators for years as the case grew cold, leaving a gaping wound of unanswered questions for those who knew her.

Justice, as it often does, moved slowly in this instance, but it did eventually arrive. It wasn't until 2013 that DNA evidence finally linked Laroche to Black's killing, breathing new life into the stagnant investigation. At that point, Laroche was already a convicted murderer, serving a life sentence that began way back on December 19, 1997, for a second-degree murder he committed in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He had actually moved there for work in 1994, just a year after Vicki Black's death, having lived near where she was last seen in Vancouver.

His history, frankly, was complicated. Before the DNA breakthrough, Laroche had even experienced periods of freedom. He was granted day parole in 2005, then full parole in 2008. But his parole was suspended in September 2009, only to be re-granted in early January 2014, not long after that crucial DNA link emerged. One can only imagine the tension and uncertainty surrounding those times.

The turning point for the Black case truly came in 2019. That's when an extensive undercover operation commenced. Laroche, at this point, was living in Hamilton, Ontario. It was during this operation that he confessed, finally admitting his involvement in Vicki Black's death. It brought a certain closure, a difficult truth, to a case that had weighed heavily on many for over two and a half decades.

Ultimately, on November 17, 2020, Steven Frank Laroche was sentenced for the manslaughter of Vicki Black. He received an additional eight years and ten months behind bars, a sentence that recognized the profound impact of his actions so many years ago. And now, almost exactly six years later, his story concludes within the walls of a federal prison. While the Correctional Service of Canada remains tight-lipped about the specifics of his passing, the news undeniably closes a significant chapter in a very long and tragic saga.