Man to be sentenced for killing of friend

A Niagara man found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2019 stabbing death of his friend will learn his fate Tuesday.

Riley Kostuk, 24, was arrested in June 2019 after Jacob Peets was found in the driveway of a home on Plymouth Avenue in St. Catharines.

The 23-year-old Port Colborne man had been stabbed in the chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

Following a monthlong trial that ended in December, a jury found Kostuk guilty of second-degree murder.

The conviction carries a penalty of life behind bars. At issue is how long the St. Catharines man must serve before he is eligible for parole.

In Superior Court of Justice in St. Catharines Monday, the Crown and defence proposed a joint submission to the judge that Kostuk be eligible to apply for parole after he has served 13 years.

Crown attorney Tyler Shuster told Judge Harrison Arrell the defendant was “fuelled by jealousy” on the night of the crime and that the sentence reflects the “brutal nature of the offence.”

The victim’s father, Brandon Peets, told court the pain of losing his son in such a violent manner has been unbearable.

“I would eventually accept an illness or an accident, but an attack I cannot,” he said. “A violent attack, I can’t handle it.

“It has taken away my sense of security, my sense of humour and has made me hate and I’ve never hated. I can’t see how I can get back to my former self.”

He described his son as a “passionate soul” who loved his family and animals.

“That one night of sheer violence didn’t just take my son … it took a brother, it took a friend, it took a grandson, it took a nephew … it took a good person,” he said.

During the trial, the jury was told the defendant often referred to the victim as his “best friend.”

“To hear my son referred to as your best friend, makes me (expletive) sick to my stomach,” Brandon Peets said. “Jake was my best friend as well as my son.”

Defence lawyer Mary Cremer said her client has a long history of substance abuse and struggles with mental-health issues.

“Everyone here understands that there’s a long road that lies head for my client,” she said. “My client understands that, as do his family members.”

The judge is scheduled to deliver his decision Tuesday.