Sudbury man jailed 17 years for his role in arson that killed three people

Jared Herrick has been sentenced to 17 years in jail for the deaths of three people killed in an April 2021 arson attack in Sudbury.

With time served, he still has 13 ½ years remaining on his sentence. Herrick, 37, pled guilty last December to three counts of manslaughter and one count of arson causing bodily harm for his role in setting a fire in row housing on Bruce Avenue on April 11, 2021. 

 

Three people died as a result -- Jamie-Lynn Lori-Lee Rose, Jasmine Marie-Claire Somers and Guy Armand Henri. A fourth was badly injured but managed to escape by jumping out of a window.

The narrative of exactly what happened that night is subject to a publication ban until the trial of the final suspect in the case, Liam Stinson.

Stinson, who was in another court Tuesday afternoon for a separate hearing while Herrick was being sentenced, is expected to have his trial in 2024.

Clad in a white T-shirt and wearing grey pants, Herrick was allowed to sit beside his lawyer, Len Walker, while Justice Patrick Boucher delivered his sentence. He had stringy, light brown hair down to his shoulders and tattoos covering his arms.

About 20 family and friends of the victims looked on, some of whom became emotional as Boucher went over the details of what happened that night and how the victims suffered before their deaths.

The defence argued that Herrick was motivated by his drug addiction – he took fentanyl every day from 2019 until the night of the crime.

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He also suffers from PTSD because of childhood trauma, as well as major depression.

The Crown argued he had a high degree of responsibility for the crimes he committed, which have and will continue to impact the families of the victims.

Boucher said Jamie-Lynn Lori-Lee Rose had children who don’t yet know how their mother suffered from severe burns before her death.

The task of telling them is now left to those left behind, which he called “an unbearable burden.”

While Herrick has been assessed as a good candidate for rehabilitation, Boucher said the crime was an intentional arson. Herrick may have believed no one was home, but didn’t do anything to ensure that was the case.

In March, Philippe Jeannotte received a 16-year sentence for his part in the deaths. Boucher said that Herrick and Jeannotte were equally culpable in the deaths, but Herrick had a longer criminal record.

Riley Roy pleaded guilty last fall to attempting to obstruct police. He was originally being charged with conspiracy to commit a break-and-enter.

Charges against Fernand Bolduc were stayed Sept. 15, 2022, and will be held for a year to give the Crown time to gather more evidence.

A trial date for Liam Stinson has not yet been announced. 

In a tweet just after 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell said crews arrived on-scene early this morning and later confirmed the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office had been called to investigate. April 11/21 (Alana Everson/CTV News Northern Ontario)