Former CFL receiver Josh Boden sentenced to life in prison, no parole for 14 years after being convicted of murdering ex-girlfriend

Photo courtesy: B.C. Lions

Former CFL receiver Josh Boden has been sentenced to life in prison by a British Columbia judge for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Kimberly Hallgarth, with no chance of parole for 14 years.

Boden was found guilty of second-degree murder in the March 2009 killing of Hallgarth last November. The former B.C. Lion, who was 22 at the time of the crime, was arrested in 2018 and accused of beating Hallgarth to death, before staging the scene to look like an accident.

The former Canadian Junior Football League Rookie of the Year, Boden spent the 2005 training camp with the B.C. Lions, before making the team for the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

He was charged with assault, theft, and mischief in April 2008 when Hallgarth contacted the Lions to allege that he had injured her and damaged her vehicle. Boden was released by the team, though the charges were later dropped.

The Vancouver native was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in September 2008, though his stint with the team was brief. He did not sign another CFL contract following his release from the Ticats.

Crown prosecutors later argued that Boden blamed Hallgarth for ending his football career, leading to her killing.

Boden’s legal problems persisted over the coming years as he was charged with a number of crimes, including two counts of sexual assault in 2011 for which he was sentenced to one year in prison.

Parole was set at 14 years after the judge took into account that Boden had obtained a high school graduation certificate and had been seeing a counsellor while in custody.