Sudbury man sentenced for role in arson that killed three people
A Sudbury man has been sentenced for his role in a fatal townhouse fire in Sudbury, Ont., that killed three people.
Phillippe Jeannotte, a 36-year-old carpenter, is one of two men who pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the deadly 2021 fire.
At a hearing Thursday afternoon, Justice Patrick Boucher sentenced Jeannotte to 16 years in prison, receiving 13 years for each death to be served concurrently. He has been in jail since his arrest in April 2021 shortly after the fire and received three years of pre-sentencing credit, which includes a total of 125 days of lockdown while in prison during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has also been ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution to the City of Greater Sudbury for the damages to the geared-to-income units involved in the fire.
Jeannotte is one of five men charged in the April 11, 2021, arson at the city's largest family townhouse complex -- formerly known as Ryan Heights – on Bruce Avenue in the Flour Mill area.
In December 2022, he and one of his co-accused, 36-year-old Jared Herrick, pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter and one count of arson causing bodily harm.
Jeannotte was originally charged with three counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and arson – disregard for human life.
He is the second of the five accused to be sentenced.
Riley Roy, 27, 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 get more evidence, a Sudbury court clerk told CTV News on the phone Thursday.
Herrick has not yet been sentenced.
Another man, Liam Stinson, who is accused of murder in the case, has elected to be tried by jury. No trial dates have been set.
A 26-year-old woman died at the scene, a 50-year-old man and 33-year-old woman succumbed to injuries sustained in the blaze while in hospital and a fourth man escaped by jumping out a second-story window.
About 15 people were evacuated from neighbouring units.
Details about the case can't be reported due to a publication ban.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Running through middle age can keep brain healthy and neurons wired: study
Exercising as you age can help maintain memory and fight cognitive decline, according to a new study.

Prediabetes: The younger you are, the higher the risk of dementia
People who develop prediabetes when they’re younger are likely to have a higher risk for dementia in later life, a new U.S. study has found.
GOP-controlled Texas House impeaches Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, triggering suspension
Texas' Republican-led House of Representatives impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday on articles including bribery and abuse of public trust, a sudden, historic rebuke of a GOP official who rose to be a star of the conservative legal movement despite years of scandal and alleged crimes.
Hamilton police ask residents to shelter after barricaded man involved in double homicide fires shots
Police in Hamilton, Ont. are dealing with a barricaded person who they say is involved in the deaths of two people.
White's putback as time expires lifts Celtics past Heat, forces Game 7 in East finals
Derrick White scored on a putback with 0.1 seconds left and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of the greatest comeback in NBA playoffs history, holding off the Miami Heat 104-103 on Saturday night to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals.
Dellandrea scores twice in 3rd, Stars stay alive with 4-2 victory over Golden Knights
Ty Dellandrea scored twice in a 1:27 span midway through the third period and the Dallas Stars beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Saturday night to stay alive in the Western Conference Final.
Team Canada hockey players Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey engaged
Celebrated Team Canada hockey players Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey have announced their engagement.
Attorney for 11-year-old Mississippi boy shot by police says there's 'no way' he could have been mistaken for an adult
An attorney for an 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot by a police officer after he called 911 for help said Thursday there was 'no way' the boy could have been mistaken for an adult.
Killer whales wreck boat in latest attack off Spain
Killer whales severely damaged a sailing boat off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service said on Thursday, adding to dozens of orca attacks on vessels recorded so far this year on Spanish and Portuguese coasts.