Man who killed the mother of his child gets 20 years

A man from Fishing Lake Métis Settlement has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing the mother of his child.

Marc Phillip Jess, 30, pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday for shooting 25-year-old Paige Crevier, a mother of two. Crevier, who had a son with Jess, was killed on the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement May 19, 2018.

Days later, Jess was charged with first-degree murder.

Crown prosecutor Dallas Sopko read an agreed statement of facts into the court record during a hearing that took place via video conference. According to the facts, Jess and Crevier had known each other for about five years and were in a common-law relationship for several years.

About four days before her death, Crevier and her two children moved to her parents’ place on the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement near Elk Point.

Jess and various friends consumed large quantities of alcohol and ingested cocaine during a three- to four-day period leading up to Crevier’s death. Throughout that time, Jess had very little sleep and on the day Crevier was killed, Jess was “seriously sleep-deprived.”

On the morning of May 19, 2018, Jess woke up and continued to consume vodka. Before leaving his home, Jess took with him his 9mm Ruger pistol, a restricted firearm, which he had a licence to possess.

At about 9:30 a.m., Jess arrived at another home on the settlement with Crevier’s cousin.

Together they consumed about one-quarter of a 60-ounce bottle of vodka. Between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., Jess also nasally ingested what he believed to be cocaine but was later told it was methamphetamine.

Jess then left that residence and went to the nearby home of Crevier’s parents, where she was living. He approached Crevier’s parents, with his pistol hidden from view, and asked to see Crevier. While they did not want her to go outside, she did, and her parents went inside.

According to the facts, Jess then “recklessly discharged his 9mm pistol, shooting Crevier in the head from close range, causing her death.” The two children were in the home when the shot was fired.

Crevier’s parents called 911 and attempted CPR for a lengthy period of time before emergency responders arrived and pronounced Crevier dead at the scene.

After leaving Crevier’s parents’ home, Jess discarded the pistol and, to date, it has not been recovered by police.

Sopko called the death of Crevier a “tragedy.”

“It not only eliminated, snuffed out the life of Paige Crevier, it’s effectively deprived these children of having their mother and having their father or father figure present for a number of years,” Sopko said.

Defence counsel Brian Beresh read into the record multiple accounts from family and former employers in support of Jess.

Jess also addressed the hearing and said he regrets what happened.

“I deeply regret the hurt and sorrow I caused Paige’s family, my family and the community. Unfortunately, I have turned to alcohol and drugs to solve my problems, my personal problems. In this I was wrong and I sincerely regret that choice and its impact on others,” Jess said. “I have deep regret for what has happened, I apologize to everyone for what has happened.”

Queen’s Bench Justice Peter Michalyshyn accepted a joint submission by the Crown and defence for Jess to receive a sentence of 20 years in prison.

With time served in pretrial custody, Jess has 15 years and 10 months left. He will not be eligible for parole until halfway through the remainder of his sentence.