Crown seeks 18-year sentence in fatal Sudbury arson case
The second man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection to the fatal 2021 townhouse fire that killed three people in Sudbury's Flour Mill area will have to wait a little longer to receive his sentence.
Jamie-Lynn Lori-Lee Rose, Jasmine Marie-Claire Somers and Guy Armand Henri died as a result of the deadly fire in the early morning of April 11, 2021, at Ryan Heights on Bruce Avenue. A fourth person was able to escape the home by jumping out of a window.
Jared Herrick and accomplice Philippe Jeannotte were both originally charged with three counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, arson and conspiracy to commit murder alongside two others – Liam Stinson and Fernand Bolduc.
In jail since their April 2021 arrest, both Herrick and Jeannotte pleaded guilty last December to three counts of the lesser charge of manslaughter and one count of arson causing bodily harm.
SENTENCING
Herrick's sentencing hearing began earlier this week, with the victim's families delivering impact statements on the devastating loss of their loved ones, and continued Friday.
During the hearing, the accused sat next to his attorney at the defence table rather than in the prisoner's box wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and black vest.
Defence lawyer Len Walker argued on Wednesday Herrick should receive a 13-year sentence for his role in the fatal fire.
In addition to the Duncan credit of 1.5 days for each day served in pre-sentence custody, Walker asked for 55 days of enhanced credit for lockdowns due to COVID-19 and jail short staffing.
In his closing argument Friday, Crown attorney David Kirk initially asked the judge to consider a 20-year sentence less time served, a lifetime weapons ban, non-communication order and for the accused to submit DNA to the national data bank.
After a discussion with Walker and a one-hour recess, Kirk revised the Crown's ask to an 18-year sentence due to previous discussions with the defence.
"I'm here to take responsibility for my role in the arson that took the lives of Jamie-Lynn Rose, Jasmine Somers, Guy Henri," Herrick said during his address to the court Friday afternoon.
"I'd like to shift my attention first to their family and friends by deeply apologizing for my choices and actions. There are no words to genuinely express my sorrow for the agonizing grief and heartache we have caused. If I could trade my life for them, I would. This is a violent and despicable crime that should not have happened in the first place. I want you to know that I'm doing 'double time' because I am haunted with guilt by visions and dreams of what must have been their horrific final moments."
He went on to explain his experience with fentanyl addiction that led him to be involved in the horrific fire and said he feels like a totally different person after spending the last two and half years behind bars.
"All I can think to do is to take the time that I get and turn it into a transitional period. I am not focused on a release date, only the opportunities that lie ahead and in my own personal goals," Herrick said.
"The price of liberty for me is eternal vigilance. I owe that to Guy, Jamie and Jasmine. They will forever be my inspiration to change my life and perhaps one day I can offer guidance to someone as lost as I was."
After Herrick's address, Justice Patrick Boucher said he needed more time and reserved his final sentencing decision.
Scheduling for the judge's decision is expected to be completed by the Aug. 1 assignment court hearing.
CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca will continue to follow the story and provide updates.
OTHER SUSPECTS IN THE CASE
In March, Jeannotte was sentenced to 16 years in prison – receiving 13 years for each death to be served concurrently – and ordered to pay the City of Greater Sudbury $250,000 in restitution for damage to the geared-to-income units damaged by the fire. He received three years of credit for pre-sentencing custody, including 125 days of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Charges against Fernand Bolduc were stayed Sept. 15, 2022, and will be held for a year to give the Crown time to get more evidence, a Sudbury court clerk told CTV News on the phone in March.
Also, last fall, a fifth man -- Riley Roy -- pleaded guilty to attempting to obstruct police in the case after originally being charged with conspiracy to commit a break-and-enter.
A publication ban on details of what happened the night of the fire is in place until the trial of the final suspect in the case, Liam Stinson, who is expected to go on trial next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.