Victim impact statements were heard during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing for 28-year-old Chad Colton Alphonse, who was convicted of manslaughter earlier this year in the March 2016 stabbing death of 26-year-old Waylon Jackson.
Crown Council read a statement prepared by Percy Jackson, Waylon’s father, as Alphonse sat quietly in the courtroom with his head bowed.
“I get depressed when I see knives – a stark reminder of how my son was murdered that night. For two years now, I’ve suffered sleepless nights and anger, afraid for my other children,” the letter read. “Chad… I’ll never forgive you. Maybe one day, but when you die, you’ll meet the true judge.”
Waylon’s mother, Christine Whiskeyjack, is expected to be in court on Wednesday to give her own victim impact statement before Alphonse receives his sentence.
Alphonse was initially charged with second degree murder after an altercation at a Rutland home ended with Jackson being stabbed to death on the evening of March 11th, 2016.
At the end of his three-week trial this past March, the jury found him not guilty of second degree murder, but did find him guilty of manslaughter.
The Crown is currently seeking a sentence of four to eight years for Alphonse, while defence lawyer Terry Laliberté is asking for a probationary sentence with strict conditions, meaning Alphonse wouldn’t have to spend any time behind bars.
There is no mandatory minimum sentence for manslaughter in Canada.