‘Karma’ catches up to guilt-ridden killer
Man gets four years after confessing to 1997 stabbing death of young father
A city man who confessed to an unsolved 1997 killing because of guilt and “karma” was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Darren Jason Young, 39, had been charged with second-degree murder for the fatal May 17, 1997, stabbing of James (Jimmy) Milliken, 23, but was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser offence.
During the sentencing, court heard Young told police he felt compelled to confess “because of karma.”
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Terry Clackson accepted a joint submission by Crown and defence for the four-year sentence, but told Milliken’s family he understands “it is a bitter pill to swallow.”
Outside court, Milliken’s sister said the family doesn’t “agree” with the sentence, but understands “how these things work.
“Ultimately, I guess this is a bit of justice, but it’s not comfort. It’s closure, but it’s not comfort,” Tammy Milliken said. “It will never get better, but at least it’s done now and we can go on.”
When asked about Young confessing because of bad karma, Milliken suggested it isn’t over for him yet.
“Oh, I think karma is going to continue with him,” she said. “I think it will be done when he dies and meets the ultimate judge.”
According to an agreed statement of facts, Milliken and some friends had been walking toward the Beverly Crest tavern, 3414 118 Ave., about 1:30 a.m. when they came across a group of 12 to 16 young men in a Mac’s convenience store parking lot.
Court heard the two groups began yelling at each other and a melee ensued. Milliken took off his shirt in preparation for a fight and Young delivered a roundhouse kick to Milliken’s head, dropping him to the ground. As Milliken began to rise, Young, then 19, stabbed him in the chest with a butterfly knife he pulled from his pocket.
Milliken, who had a one-year-old son at the time and a second one on the way, died shortly afterward.
Another man was initially accused of the killing, but charges against him were stayed following a preliminary hearing.
Crown prosecutor Alexandra Bailey told court police got new information in the case in 2002 and pursued an undercover operation targeting Young. However, he was not charged.
Then, on March 27, 2014, Young called police and said he had something to confess and a day later he admitted what he had done.
Defence lawyer Dino Bottos told court that Young had said to him that he never got over killing Milliken.
“He still felt bad and guilty over what he had done,” Bottos said, adding Young felt he was always under suspicion and could never really trust anyone. “It was tormenting him.”
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Tammy Milliken slammed Young for leaving her nephews without a dad and making the family live without knowing who had killed him for 19 years.