Prosecution calls for 12-month minimum sentence for disgraced sports writer Jonah Keri
WARNING -- Some readers might find parts of this story disturbing.
Montreal sportswriter Jonah Keri is set to be sentenced in March after pleading guilty to five counts of assault, threats of death or bodily harm and criminal harassment against his former wife and a minor.
A sentencing hearing took place in a Montreal court Thursday.
His ex-wife provided an impact statement Thursday morning, where she called her 361-day marriage to Keri a nightmare, and described how it deeply impacted her and her family.
"To this day, I feel compelled to avoid confrontation at any cost, no matter who it is with,” she said. “Because of Mr. Keri’s actions, I lost myself.”
Keri then addressed the court, reading a letter he wrote to his former wife, where he said he "acted terribly" numerous times.
“Each time I apologized, promising to be better, and to never do it again. But my apologies turned out to be meaningless. The cycle of violence continued,” he said. “This was entirely my fault. You did not deserve anything that I did to you.”
Prosecutor Bruno Menard is asking the court for Keri to be jailed for a minimum of 12 months, plus probation. Defence attorney Jeffrey Boro is calling for no jail time.
Judge Alexandre Dalmau is expected to sentence Keri in March.
Court documents state several incidents involving Keri's wife took place in July 2018, May 2019 and July 2019. The baseball writer and high-profile sports journalist was first arrested in the summer of 2019.
Facts filed with the court described numerous violent incidents, including multiple times Keri verbally terrorized his wife, physically beat her or threatened her.
Abuse included striking, biting and threatening her with a kitchen knife. He also headbutted his wife, breaking her nose.
"While driving, Mr. Keri weaves between lanes and threatens to push (name redacted) out the door, as well as crash the vehicle and kill both of them," one incident in the statement reads.
After the initial arrest, he was granted bail with several conditions, but in November 2019, Keri was taken into custody again after a new warrant was issued when he broke one of his bail conditions by contacting his wife.
In December of that year, Keri was charged with additional counts of assaulting his wife and a minor.
He pleaded guilty in August 2021.
A Montreal native, Keri is best known for his 2014 history of the Montreal Expos and has written for many of North America's top sports websites and publications, all of whom cut ties with him following his assault charges.
With files from CTV News' Rachel Lau and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.