Regina Leader-Post

Youth sentence ‘would not be just’ in La Loche case

- ANDREA HILL

A youth sentence “would not reflect the seriousnes­s” of the crimes of a young man who killed four people and injured seven others in La Loche, the judge said.

An audio recording of Judge Janet McIvor’s decision to sentence the shooter as an adult was made available to media on Friday night, after media were locked out of the courthouse for most of the proceeding­s in La Loche court Friday morning.

Now 20, the young man had pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder in relation to the shootings at a home and the high school in La Loche on Jan. 22, 2016, when he was a 17-year-old high school student. On Friday, he learned he will be sentenced as an adult.

In her decision, McIvor said she had to consider the seriousnes­s of the shooter’s crimes, whether the shooter’s age meant he had less capacity for moral judgment and whether a youth sentence would provide enough time for the shooter to be safely reintegrat­ed into the community.

In this case, a youth sentence “would not be just,” McIvor told the court.

“(The shooter) requires longterm monitoring for his rehabilita­tion and to meet his ongoing needs, many of which are unknown at this time and also for his eventual safe integratio­n back into the community.

“Even if I was convinced that a youth sentence would be sufficient to meet (the shooter’s) rehabilita­tion needs and provide a basis for him to be safely reintegrat­ed into the community, neverthele­ss I would have imposed an adult sentence.”

McIvor said that although the shooter has a low IQ and may have fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, his moral culpabilit­y for his crimes was high. She described the shooting as “very sophistica­ted” and said the shooter had carefully planned his actions to cause the most damage, for example by using a shotgun instead of a rifle. McIvor also pointed out that the shooter was able to adapt when things went wrong; for example, he picked up a second gun after the first one he tried jammed.

“These were not an impulsive act done by an immature person,” McIvor said. “The planning, the deliberati­on, the resolve, all have an adult-like quality.”

If the shooter was sentenced as a youth, he would face six years in custody, followed by four years of supervisio­n in the community.

McIvor said that would not be enough time for the shooter to be rehabilita­ted.

McIvor also addressed the shooter’s family, who have supported him throughout his time in custody. According to McIvor, the shooter’s family calls him daily and he has an uncle in Saskatoon who visits him regularly.

“This young fellow is going to need your continued support. However, as his family, to assist him in his rehabilita­tion and his eventual reintegrat­ion back into the community, folks you must also come to terms with what he has done both within your family and within the community as a whole,” she told his family, who had gathered in court.

The shooter’s next court appearance is March 16 in Meadow Lake. McIvor told the court on Friday the shooter will appear via video link from Saskatoon. She said sentencing will not be completed on that date.

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