Convicted killer Denecho King fought back tears as he pleaded with a NWT Supreme Court judge to impose the minimum sentence for second-degree murder during a hearing Friday.
SA国际影视传媒淚, Denecho King, am deeply sorry SA国际影视传媒�,SA国际影视传媒� he said, standing to address Justice Andrew Mahar in a tense and emotionally-charged Yellowknife courtroom.
SA国际影视传媒淣othing I say or do will change the past,SA国际影视传媒� he said, reading from pages of prepared notes.
His voice faltering, King implored Mahar to impose a parole ineligibility period of 10 years. Second-degree murder convictions trigger automatic life sentences with a minimum parole ineligibility period of 10 years and a maximum period of 25 years.
King's lawyer, Jay Bran, asked the court to consider a parole ineligibility period of 10 to 12 years.
Prosecutor Jill Andrews called for a 17-year sentence to reflect the brutality and callousness of the SA国际影视传媒渞andomSA国际影视传媒� December 2014 attack that took the life of John Wifladt and seriously injured Colin Digness.
King, who was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated assault, has never admitted guilt in the deadly sword attack.
While King apologized, going on to say he SA国际影视传媒渇elt badSA国际影视传媒� about the stress thatSA国际影视传媒檚 been caused to his family and the victimsSA国际影视传媒� families, he avoided addressing the murder or the victims directly, and didnSA国际影视传媒檛 accept outright responsibility for the killing.
SA国际影视传媒楴eglected and abusedSA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淚 am a young Indigenous (man) who grew up in the streets of Yellowknife,SA国际影视传媒� the soft-spoken King continued.
King told the court he had no authority figures growing up, and looked to older friends on the streets as his role models.
At one point, King appeared to break down.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 just so hard, you know?SA国际影视传媒� King said to Mahar.
King said he felt SA国际影视传媒渁bused and neglectedSA国际影视传媒� throughout his childhood SA国际影视传媒� an experience detailed in his pre-sentence report SA国际影视传媒� an examination into the circumstances and background of an offender before sentencing.
Jay Bran said his client dropped out of school at a young age, and quickly learned he could provide for himself by selling drugs and living a criminal lifestyle.
Bran said King and his brothers had to protect their mother from violence.
King wrote he SA国际影视传媒渁lways felt scared,SA国际影视传媒� as a child, a comment that SA国际影视传媒渟truckSA国际影视传媒� Mahar.
The offender has been in and out of jail regularly since he was 16 years old.
While the0 prosecutor acknowledged the profound Gladue factors present in KingSA国际影视传媒檚 life, including the lasting impact of the residential school system, she said the factors didnSA国际影视传媒檛 warrant a reduced sentence.
Even after King committed the murder, he violently assaulted a cab driver while on probation in February 2015, said Andrews. In August 2016, just months later while in remand custody at North Slave Correctional Centre, he escaped jail.
Andrews said KingSA国际影视传媒檚 conduct post-murder shows a continuation of violent, criminal behaviour.
She said King has made no movement toward rehabilitation.
King, Bran said, has been taking anger management courses and has seen a psychologist in recent years, adding different people deal with their trauma at different paces.
But Andrews said King's acknowledgment of his anger issues in the pre-sentence report doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 go far enough.
SA国际影视传媒淜ing is in denial of how serious his anger problem is,SA国际影视传媒� said Andrews.
SA国际影视传媒淭he public must be protected from this dangerous and explosive offender,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
King, who told the court heSA国际影视传媒檚 SA国际影视传媒渁ggressive by nature,SA国际影视传媒� said he wants to get the sentencing over with so he can benefit from the federal penitentiary programs offered down south.
King said the territory's corrections service had SA国际影视传媒渇ailed him.SA国际影视传媒�
Justice Mahar is expected to hand down a sentencing decision Nov. 26.
