Montreal Lake Man Gets Life Sentence For Murders

Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 14:05

A 19-year-old man from the Montreal Lake Cree Nation has been given a life sentence in prison with no chance of parole for seven years for a triple homicide on the reserve.

Isaac Ballantyne was 17 when he killed 19-year-old Farro Bird and brothers Kerry Naytowhow, who was 17, and Greg Naytowhow, who was 27.

He was sentenced yesterday after pleading guilty to three counts of second-degree murder. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder, but those charges were reduced as part of a plea bargain.

Court heard he was in a drunken stupor when the shootings took place.

Crown prosecutor John Morrall also pointed out that Ballantyne has a history of violence, and once took a youth worker hostage while he was in custody.

A pre-sentence report described him as unpredictable, impulsive, anti-social and moderately psychopathic.

Defence lawyer Greg Chovin said Ballantyne had been in foster care since an early age and was addicted to inhalants, drugs and alcohol.

(with files from the Prince Albert Daily Herald)