Man sentenced to 30 months for 2019 fatal shove outside Edmonton convenience store
The man who killed a 26-year-old man outside a west Edmonton convenience store in 2019 has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for manslaughter.
Christopher Chase used both his hands to shove Jamie Desjarlais to the ground outside a 7-Eleven near 156 Street and 107 Avenue, around 5:30 a.m. on April 19, 2019.
Desjarlais hit the back of his head on the pavement and died in hospital six days later.
"This was an unprovoked, sudden assault on an unsuspecting individual," said Alberta Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sterling Sanderman in delivering the sentence Monday.
"This was an irrational act. Jamie should not have died," he said. "It was a bad luck meeting."
Desjarlais was 26 at the time of his death and left behind an infant son.
Chase was initially charged with aggravated assault but later plead guilty to an upgraded manslaughter charge after Desjarlais' death.
Sanderman ruled Chase's moral culpability for the crime amounted to a 3 1/2 year sentence. He reduced it to 30 months with credit for a guilty plea and time already spent in custody.
The sentence for manslaughter can range from probation to life in prison.
Chase addressed the court ahead of sentencing saying he was addressing his anger issues.
"I do take full responsibility," he said. "I apologize."
Chase is also subject to a DNA order and prohibition on owning firearms.
'DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE'
Crown prosecutor Bonnie Parker had sought a sentence of between three and four years, telling the court "anything lesser would be of concern."
"It was not a spontaneous act," Parker said. "The accused walked to the deceased and delivered a push that ended his life."
Parker also noted Chase's prior criminal record which included two assault convictions.
Defence lawyer Douglas Lee argued for a sentence of two years, citing Chase's remorse and efforts to better himself.
"The intent to kill was not there."
Desjarlais' younger sister Emily read one of 11 victim impact statements entered into the court record.
"It's so unfair someone with a sincere love of life was robbed of it," she said.
"I will only know that he was good and that he did not deserve to die that night."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.