DEIRDRE THOMPSON,

whose bro ther Jacob was shot dead by Brayton Kennedy in 2016.

My hope is that Mr. Kennedy will come to understand that he is in charge of his life. He is not his past … but he can decide to change his future.

Brayton Kennedy shot his mom's boyfriend at close range, then ran off while Jacob Thompson, 40, stumbled outside, collapsed and died alone on the front lawn of his Elmira Drive home in the city's west end.

It's been four years since the Sept. 24, 2016, shooting and Kennedy has still not shown genuine remorse or accepted help for addiction.

Remarkably, Thompson's grieving family filed victim impact statements at Kennedy's sentencing hearing Wednesday that were anchored in grace and hope for the killer.

“My hope is that Mr. Kennedy will come to understand that he is in charge of his life. He is not his past, he cannot change his past, but he can decide to change his future,” sister Deirdre Thompson said.

“I want him to understand that nobody is responsible for his path except himself so he needs to decide where it will lead him. Perhaps with a little maturity and a lot of courage, Mr. Kennedy will be able to someday provide himself a life he will be proud of.

“Mr. Kennedy, please see this as an opportunity. You have been provided an opportunity to do something different to stop the cycle, to perhaps find a purpose that is bigger than this,” she said.

Originally charged with second-degree murder, Kennedy pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter last year.

At his sentencing hearing Wednesday, assistant Crown attorney Kerry McVey urged Ontario Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips to deliver a penalty that reflects the pain of senseless, avoidable gun violence.

McVey noted that Kennedy is not remorseful, and instead tried to justify the killing in a pre-sentence interview in which he said, “Of course I feel remorse ... but what else was I supposed to do?”

McVey also reminded the court that Kennedy has taken no steps for help with addiction or therapy for childhood. “I'm not into that. No thanks,” Kennedy said in a pre-sentence interview.

Kennedy said he shot his mom's live-in boyfriend because he suspected he was abusing her, but court heard no evidence to support the claim.

McVey, who secured the conviction, told court that while it's not a murder case, Kennedy still needs to answer for meting out a “death sentence.” In suggesting a penalty of 12 years for the killing, McVey recounted the awful, final moments of Thompson's life.

“Mr. Thompson died alone, in the absence of the people who loved him the most,” McVey said.

The killing devastated Thompson's family and friends.

Deirdre Thompson said that since the “sudden and violent loss” of her brother, she has felt disconnected from herself and her closest relationships.

Defence lawyer Lorne Goldstein asked Phillips for a sentence of eight years and presented Kennedy as a young man with potential for a successful future. Goldstein told the hearing that Kennedy fired one shot, and that the loss of life he has to live with has “changed his life permanently.”

The lawyer noted that Kennedy is not a predator with a long criminal history, but rather a “foolish drunk paying the price for it.” He reminded the court that Kennedy was only 19 at the time.

The lawyer described Kennedy's childhood as dysfunctional, with a home steeped in family violence and drug trafficking, and said his guilty plea shows he's accepted responsibility.

Thompson's mother, Kathleen Muise, said her life was abruptly changed by her son's “unnecessary” death.

“Jacob and I were as close as any mom and son could be. I will never recover from the loss of my son or the events of that night. ... It's all such a tragedy,” Muise said in a victim impact statement.

Ottawa police have not recovered the handgun and McVey told court the public has “no assurances that it won't be used to take the life of another.”

The shooting occurred after a long night of drinking. Kennedy grabbed a handgun from under the living-room couch and fired a single shot at close range.

Thompson, who was unarmed, was not the aggressor in the deadly argument, according to an agreed statement of facts.