28-year-old Chad Colton Alphonse will not spend any time behind bars for the March 2016 stabbing death of 26-year-old Waylon Jackson.
During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Alphonse was given a three-year probationary sentence with strict conditions, as suggested by Defence Counsel Terry Laliberté. The first year of that sentence will be spent on house arrest. Should Alphonse violate any of those conditions, he'll risk returning to court and being handed jail time.
Leading up to the sentencing, Laliberté argued that his client was not a violent person, and was too drunk at the time of Jackson's death to properly form the intention to kill. He also mentioned that Alphonse had been attending Vision Quest to tackle his addiction to alcohol.
Crown Counsel David Grabavac had previously asked that Alphonse receive a sentence of four to eight years for Jackson's death, calling the Jackson's death a "near-murder manslaughter."
Prior to sentencing, Jackson's mother, Christine Whiskeyjack, gave an emotional victim impact statement in court, saying that she had become depressed, socially distant, and even suicidal following her son's death.
"I blame myself for not being there to protect him," Whiskeyjack sobbed. "Losing Waylon shattered my life, and changed my life in so many ways. If I had the chance to do it over again, I would have told my Waylon not to move to Kelowna."
Whiskeyjack said that she has been unable to go back to work in the field of social work out of fear of being triggered. She also mentioned that, for that same reason, she is unable to watch any movies or television shows that feature knives.
Waylon's father, Percy Jackson, spoke with AM 1150 before the sentencing, recalling the close bond that he shared with his son.
"(Alphonse) took my best friend... my first baby... and I'm not getting him back," said Jackson. "It's hard to understand why this had to happen to my son."
After Alphonse was handed his sentence, both of Jackson's parents stormed out of the courtroom and were unavailable for further comment.
Alphonse was first arrested on the evening of March 11th, 2016, after an altercation at a party in a Rutland home ended with Jackson being stabbed several times. Jackson died of his injuries at the hospital, and Alphonse was charged with second degree murder.
At the end of a three-week trial this past March that saw approximately 27 witnesses come forward, the jury found Alphonse not guilty of second degree murder, but did find him guilty of manslaughter.
Jackson's parents have stated that they have no intention to return to Kelowna again following the end of the trial, saying the city stands as a reminder of their loss.