A young Chatham man initially accused of murder in 2022 has been sentenced to two years probation and time served in connection to the stabbing death of another youth.
The identity of the convicted teen, the 17-year-old male victim, and several teenage witnesses, are all protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The guilty party was 17-years-old at the time of the crime and is now 19.
He was sentenced in Chatham court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of possession of a prohibited weapon dangerous to the public in January 2024.
Chatham-Kent police previously said they were called to an address on Richmond Street near Queen Street in Chatham for a disturbance on October 21, 2022. The court heard the victim was stabbed in the chest after a drug deal gone bad.
The convicted teen, who spent 344 days in jail, has been banned from possessing weapons for 10 years, was prohibited from certain areas of Chatham, and has been ordered to stay away from witnesses and the victim's family. He was also ordered to provide a DNA sample and undergo counselling for anger management, substance abuse, and psychological issues.
His defence lawyer told the court his client didn't start the disturbance and wishes it never happened.
He also said his client has apologized to the deceased youth's mother.
Some members of the victim's family read out redacted victim impact statements in court and that's when the sentencing hearing got dicey and hateful with some jawing back and forth between both sides in court. That prompted a warning by the judge to be respectful of the court process, even if they disagree with the proceedings.
During their victim impact statements, the victim's mother, grandmother, and uncle, were very upset that their public statements were heavily redacted. The court was told they were redacted because they included incorrect content or statements that weren’t part of the court record.
The sobbing mother told the court she missed her son very much and went to the Chatham hospital when she found out her son was gone.
"I thought if I could just hold my boy, hold him and hold his hand, I could bring him back," she said. "My children are broken, we can't go back, it's so hard to move forward. I hate you. Your kid needs to pay. He should have paid."