Teen convicted in Jannai Dopwell-Bailey killing sentenced to 6 years
A 19-year-old man convicted of killing a Montreal teenager outside his school in October 2021 was sentenced to six years on Monday.
The offender, who was found guilty of second-degree murder, can't be identified because he was a minor at the time of the killing.
Jannai Dopwell-Bailey, 16, was pepper-sprayed, then beaten and stabbed 11 times by a group of teens outside Programme Mile End in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood.
"The punishment does not fit the crime," said Dopwell-Bailey's mother, Charla Dopwell, outside the courtroom after her son's killer was sentenced. "If it was the other way around like two Black boys that did this to a white person I don’t think that would have been the outcome."
Jannai Dopwell-Bailey, 16, was fatally stabbed in Cote-des-Neiges in October 2021. (Source: Submitted photo)
Second-degree murder in Canada carries an automatic life sentence, with no chance of parole for 10 years. For youth, the maximum sentence for second-degree murder is seven years, with a maximum of four years spent in custody and the remainder spent under supervision in the community.
On Monday, a judge sentenced the young man to six years minus a credit of 12 months for time already served in jail, reducing the time left to serve to five years.
The judge told the court that he will serve two years in custody, which will be split in a youth facility until his 20th birthday and followed by time served in an adult correctional facility.
The remaining three years will be served in the community under supervision with conditions that will be determined at a later date.
According to the sentence, he is prohibited from contacting the victim's immediate family. He must also provide a sample of his DNA and is banned from owning a weapon for the rest of his life.
"We asked for the maximum sentence because of the principle of accountability. We were of the opinion that considering the violent acts that were committed by the accused and the indescribable consequences that were inflicted on the victims, only the maximum sentence was sufficient to make the adolescent accountable for his actions," Crown prosecutor Simon Robin told reporters at the courthouse.
The young man is the second person to be sentenced in the teen's killing.
Last June, a judge ruled 21-year-old Andrei Donet, who was also convicted of second-degree murder, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years. Unlike the teen in court on Monday, Donet was an adult at the time of the killing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Milton increases to a Category 4 hurricane as Florida prepares for massive evacuations
Milton rapidly strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane Monday on a path toward Florida population centers including Tampa and Orlando, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.
Canadian scurvy case prompts advisory to doctors: It's still out there
Scurvy is not just an archaic diagnosis of 18th-century seafarers and doctors should be on the lookout for possible cases, according to researchers following a recent case.
Lawyers for Madeleine McCann suspect seek acquittal in his German trial on unrelated sexual offence charges
Lawyers for a man who is also under investigation in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann called on Monday for him to be acquitted in his trial on charges of unrelated sexual offences.
Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, dead at 63
Christopher Ciccone, a multihyphenate artist, dancer, designer and younger brother of Madonna, has died. He was 63.
Alleged suicide kit salesman files in Supreme Court to contest whether assisted suicide can ever be murder
Lawyers representing the Ontario man accused of selling hundreds of suicide kits with deadly effect around the globe have filed to intervene in a case in Canada’s highest court, arguing there is no way he can be charged with murder under Canadian law.
DEVELOPING Police in several cities to increase presence ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary
On the anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks in Israel, police departments in cities across Canada are increasing their presence in Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as at the locations of planned protests.
Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
Man arrested after stealing Vancouver police cruiser, driving it into neighbourhood park
A man stole a police car and drove it onto the field of an East Vancouver park Sunday morning, placing 'dozens of bystanders in harm’s way,' according to police.
War rages on multiple fronts as Israel marks a year since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack
Israelis held sombre ceremonies on Monday to mark a year since the deadliest attack in the country's history, a Hamas-led raid that shattered its sense of security and ignited wars on two fronts with no end in sight.