Lisa Brule and Jordan Nande were sentenced Wednesday to 10 months in custody for being accessories after the fact to Breanna MenachoSA国际影视传媒檚 killing.
Brule, 21, and Nande, 25, admitted Monday to assisting Devon Larabie, 27, evade .
photo courtesy of the
During MondaySA国际影视传媒檚 proceedings, Crown prosecutor Blair MacPherson read a victim impact statement from MenachoSA国际影视传媒檚 mother.
SA国际影视传媒淚 canSA国际影视传媒檛 explain how heavy this load is, or the depth of my sadness,SA国际影视传媒� she wrote.
She told the court that her daughter had planned to go to college to become a personal support worker, which SA国际影视传媒渟eemed to be a perfect fit because she was so caring.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 nothing worse than losing a child and nothing worse than struggling to understand how someone who loved with all her heart and soul could be done so wrong.SA国际影视传媒�
Brule sobbed and repeated SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 sorrySA国际影视传媒� throughout the statement.
SA国际影视传媒淚 donSA国际影视传媒檛 deserve forgiveness from you,SA国际影视传媒� Brule said, addressing MenachoSA国际影视传媒檚 family, SA国际影视传媒渂ut I am really sorry. I never intended for this to happen and ISA国际影视传媒檓 sorry I got involved.SA国际影视传媒�
Nande and Brule will serve 24 months of probation following their sentence.
SA国际影视传媒淕ood luck to you, both of you,SA国际影视传媒� Shaner said to Nande and Brule.
To MenachoSA国际影视传媒檚 loved ones Shaner said SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 very sorry.SA国际影视传媒�
Menacho, 22, was found dead in a Yellowknife apartment on May 6. Larabie was charged with murder on May 8, and Nande and Brule were charged with being accessories after the fact on May 13. They have remained in custody since then.
Justice Karan Shaner accepted the Crown and defence lawyersSA国际影视传媒� joint position of nine to 12 months imprisonment, followed by a two-year probationary period.
For Brule, this means she will be released on probation based on the time she has already served in jail awaiting the outcome of her legal proceedings.
Nande still has a couple of months remaining to serve on an unrelated sentence of assault causing bodily harm.
In delivering her sentence, Shaner acknowledged the SA国际影视传媒渟ignificantSA国际影视传媒� Gladue factors SA国际影视传媒� social disadvantages affecting Indigenous peoples SA国际影视传媒� were relevant for both offenders. The court heard Monday that Brule, who had been in foster care since age 8, was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder SA国际影视传媒� a disability caused by a mother who drinks during pregnancy.
Peter Harte, BruleSA国际影视传媒檚 lawyer, told the court that she struggled with her mental health for most of her life. Brule has been admitted to the hospital several times for suicidal tendencies. She estimates she has more than 100 scars on her arm from cutting, once going so far as to cause nerve damage in an infected injury that nearly required amputation.
Shaner gave Brule credit for having worked to support herself despite her circumstances.
SA国际影视传媒淚 have no trouble accepting that moral culpability is diminished,SA国际影视传媒� Shaner said in relation to BruleSA国际影视传媒檚 personal history.
Nande, the court heard, was diagnosed earlier this year with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from trauma and abuse experienced in childhood.
Shaner also considered the offendersSA国际影视传媒� guilty pleas, which spared the victimSA国际影视传媒檚 family from having to sit through a trial on these charges.
Publication ban challenged
A publication ban prevents SA国际影视传媒 from disclosing the facts of the incident as they could interfere with LarabieSA国际影视传媒檚 right to a fair trial.
CBC contested the publication ban in a court hearing Wednesday morning.
MacPherson argued that publishing details of the night Menacho died could prejudice a jury. He acknowledged the importance of court proceedings being open to the public and the SA国际影视传媒済reat serviceSA国际影视传媒� the media provides SA国际影视传媒渢o the people of Yellowknife and to the Northwest Territories.SA国际影视传媒�
He said that publication bans are only issued in rare occasions but submits that SA国际影视传媒渢his is one of those occasions.SA国际影视传媒�
The publication ban would only be temporary, he said, until a jury is selected, or if the case is no longer proceeding to trial.
SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e not asking for the press to be muzzled here,SA国际影视传媒� MacPherson said. SA国际影视传媒淭he story will still get out at some point, there just would be a delay to protect the interests of the accused.SA国际影视传媒�
CBC lawyer Tess Layton called the ban SA国际影视传媒渦njustified.SA国际影视传媒� She said that SA国际影视传媒渏urors would be confronted with the evidence in any event,SA国际影视传媒� and argued SA国际影视传媒渇reedom of expression, as a charter right, should be given heightened consideration.SA国际影视传媒�
Shaner said she would release a written decision by Dec. 18 and has extended the temporary publication ban until then.
