Cheers at 50-year murder sentence
A packed Toronto courtroom erupted into cheers and a standing ovation Monday after the judge announced two men convicted of murdering a young woman would not be eligible for parole for 50 years.
Dellen Millard is “profoundly amoral and dangerous” while his partner in crime, Mark Smich, “enthusiastically” participated in t he murder of L aura Babcock, 23, whose body was never found, Justice Michael Code said.
Millard, 32, of Toronto, and Smich, 30, of Oakville, Ont., were convic t ed in December of murdering the Toronto woman in the summer of 2012 and burning her body in an animal incinerator.
“Justice has been served to t he murderers of our cherished daughter, Laura,” Clayton Babcock, the victim’s father, told reporters. “Somehow life i n prison seems lenient when Laura didn’t even get to see her 24th birthday.”
Millard and Smich had previously been convicted in t he murder of Tim Bosma, a 32- year- old Hamilton father who went missing in May 2013 after going on a test drive with two men interested in buying his pickup truck. That trial in 2016 heard the pair burned Bosma’s body in an animal incinerator — called the Eliminator — that belonged to Millard.
“This repetition of two planned and deliberate murders also arguably requires separate punishment to deter potential serial murderers who are thinking of going on to commit a second murder after successfully committing a first murder,” Code told the sentencing hearing Monday as he ordered the life sentences in the two murder cases be served consecutively.
“Millard unsuccessfully attempted to prove that there is a good side to his personality,” Code said.
“In my view, Millard is skilful and clever in delivering pro- social behaviour when it is to his advantage.
The overwhelming weight of evidence f rom text messages to his criminal behaviour is that he is profoundly amoral and dangerous.”
Smich, the j udge said, was just as culpable. “I am satisfied he was pleased and enthusiastic to be a part of the murder,” Code said.
First- degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.
The Babcock trial heard the young woman struggled with mental health and drug use, and was working as an escort before her disappearance in July 2012.
Babcock had become infatuated with Millard. In early July, she and Mill ard had texted or called each other more than 100 times over three days until Millard brought Babcock back to his house on July 3.