Man pleads guilty to killing girlfriend by strangulation
Killer will spend at least 13 years in prison for second-degree murder
After strangling his girlfriend in their northeast basement suite, Calgarian Jonathan Edward Martin used a saw in the attack, a prosecutor said Monday.
Crown lawyer Hyatt Mograbee, reading from a statement of agreed facts, said a drunken Martin repeatedly assaulted Chelsea Serpentini-Harty after she arrived home from work late on Aug. 25, 2015.
Martin pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder in connection with the killing.
“As a result of the assaults, Serpentini-Harty sustained several non-life threatening injuries which are captured in the autopsy report,” Mograbee told Justice Jolaine Antonio.
“Around the time of the assaults, in which Serpentini-Harty tried to get away and defend herself, the accused walked behind (her) and put her in an arm-bar choke hold,” Mograbee said.
“Serpentini-Harty struggled to free herself, but was unsuccessful. The accused continued to dominate and apply pressure on the neck … until she was no longer breathing and deceased.”
After killing his victim, Martin attempted to cover up his crime, the prosecutor said.
“The accused then used a saw to partially dismember (her) body,” Mograbee said, as members of the deceased’s family wept.
Both Mograbee and defence counsel Balfour Der proposed a joint sentencing submission of life without parole for a minimum of 13 years.
Der said there were mitigating factors, including Martin’s guilty plea and relative youth, which justified such a sentence.
He said Martin was 27 at the time he killed Serpentini-Harty, 24, whom he dated for eight months.
He also noted the offender’s intoxication, which, while not a defence to the crime, showed a lack of premeditation.
“Mr. Martin was drinking heavily at the time,” Der said.
The defence counsel said the altercation between his client and the deceased was a spontaneous
Mr. Martin was drinking heavily at the time. … His actions were the result of a quarrel. It was not something that was planned by any means.
one.
“His actions were the result of a quarrel,” Der said. “It was not something that was planned by any means.”
Antonio accepted the joint submission, handing Martin a mandatory life term after hearing victim impact statements from several people, including the deceased’s parents.
Terry Harty told the court how much the family misses the victim.
“Her unquenchable love of life, her voice, her hugs,” he said, as Martin listened dispassionately in the prisoner’s box. “We were hoping for grandchildren, now this will never be.”
The deceased’s mom, Toni Serpentini-Harty, said she could not bring herself to forgive Martin.
“I have no empathy and no forgiveness in my heart for you, just like you showed no remorse in silencing our daughter forever.”
She also noted Martin not only caused them great grief by taking their daughter but “continued to taunt us with games.” Martin, who was to stand trial beginning this week on a charge of first-degree, had indicated in May 2017 he had a desire to plead guilty to a reduced charge, before changing his mind and scheduling a trial.