Stonechild’s Sentencing Delayed
Tuesday, April 01, 2008 at 15:25
Yesterday was an emotional day at Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench as family and friends read victim impact statements about how they are dealing with the death of Justin Sproat.
The 17-year-old was stabbed to death by Bailey Lonechild at a house party nearly three years ago.
The two were in a fistfight that Sproat was winning, until Lonechild stabbed him once fatally.
Lonechild was charged with second-degree murder, but eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
He was supposed to be sentenced yesterday, but there were too many victim impact statements to go through in one day.
Many people who read statements said they no longer feel safe in Saskatoon.
One woman said whenever she goes out, she looks around the room and wonders about the people who are there.
Many people who took the stand cried, as did people in the courtroom.
There was also a lot of anger directed at Lonechild, who sat with his head bowed for most of the proceedings.
Four more impact statements, including those of Sproat’s sister, mother, and father, will be read when the proceedings resume on Friday.
The Crown and defence will then each submit what they deem an appropriate sentence.