A man convicted of killing two Fraser Valley sex-trade workers has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 23 years.

Davey Mato Butorac faced a mandatory life sentence after his conviction for second-degree murder in the slayings of 46-year-old Gwendolyn Jo Lawton and 50-year-old Sheryl Lynn Koroll in 2007.

RCMP Supt. Dan Malo said outside the court that police believe they were able to arrest Butorac before he could kill even more women.

"Investigators felt they were dealing with what potentially in the future could be a serial killer. This was the priority file at the time and investigators moved mountains," Malo said.

Butorac will be back in court later this year on another murder charge.

Crown lawyers had argued that Butorac should have no chance of parole for the maximum 25 years, a sentence on par with that of serial killer Robert Pickton.

Prosecutor Christopher McPherson said Butorac's crimes were heinous and displayed a comparable depravity to Pickton, who was convicted of six murders in 2007.

"There is something inside (Butorac). He harbours a deep anger. He is similar to Pickton," said McPherson in New Westminster Supreme Court.

"Mr. Butorac is among the worst group of offenders. These are among the worst group of offences: two brutal murders separated by three months involving very vulnerable women," said McPherson.

Defence lawyer Richard Fowler disagreed, saying Pickton's case was exceptional and that his client should face between 20 and 22 years without parole.

"Things were done to those bodies (by Pickton) that weren't present in this case," he said.

Fowler said there was redeeming evidence in letters of support from his family members and a troubled childhood.

"Nothing in his background would have led any members of his family to believe these things could have taken place," said Fowler.

Butorac only attended school periodically in grades six and seven and left school permanently at the age of 11 or 12, said Fowler.

He was tested on numerous occasions at BC Children's Hospital for disorders but none was found, said Fowler. Butorac lived at home and worked jobs in labour, holding the same job for a maximum of six months at a time.

Gwendolyn Jo Lawton's mother Irene Reitz's voice wavered as she addressed Butorac in a victim impact statement.

"You've taken my mentor, my confidante, my teacher, my everything," said Reitz.

"The light in my life was glowing until you, Mr. Butorac, tore a hole in me."

Butorac listened intently to the proceedings, slouching slightly in his seat.

Lawton's body was found on March 13, 2007 off Pemberton Road in Abbotsford. She was beaten and strangled. McPherson said she was looking for money to support a drug habit. The last person to see her alive was her son.

Koroll's body was found on July 7, 2007. She was beaten and strangled as well. The cause of her death was a skull fracture.

Blood and DNA in the trunk of Butorac's white Chevrolet Cavalier were matched to the women. Police theorized the women's injuries could have been caused by a black metal bicycle handlebar and a tire iron that were found in the truck.

Surveillance footage showed Butorac's truck entering and leaving the industrial park where Koroll was dumped.

Nothing in the police investigation uncovered a motive in the crimes, McPherson said.

"There was no indication of mental illness," he said. "We don't know why."

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward