2022 was a busy year in Chatham court as several cases involving people responsible for the death of others concluded with most receiving jail time.
2022 was a busy year in Chatham court as several cases involving people responsible for the death of others concluded with most receiving jail time.
Kourtny Audette was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years on Feb. 24 – her 29th birthday – after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the April, 18, 2018 death of Nick Laprise.
The drawn out case resulted in Audette receiving 2,112 days credit for the three years, 10 months and six days she spent in pre-sentence custody since being arrested on April 18, 2018.
It was revealed during court proceedings, the Wallaceburg sex worker fatally stabbed Laprise when he refused to accept she wouldn’t have sex with him while he was at her Wallaceburg home.
Audette made an emotional apology to the Laprise family while in court.
“I regret this every day of my existence. I regret what has happened. I understand the severity of my actions. They haunt me day and night,” she said. “I take full responsibility for everything that has happened, and I am truly and deeply sorry.”
A short case involving the tragic death of an 89-year-old Wallaceburg woman who was strangled by her 95-year-old husband concluded on Feb. 1 with the court finding the man not criminally responsible due to hallucinations and delusions he suffered.
The man, who cannot be named due to a publication ban to protect his wife’s identity, attacked and strangled his wife around 3:30 am, Dec. 26, 2020.
Court heard the man’s personality had changed after he suffered a significant head injury from a fall about five years ago at the time. It was also stated in court the man refused medical treatment and later “suffered from agitated episodes, moments of aggressive behavior.”
Two forensic psychiatrists conducted assessments on the man, both concluding he was fit to stand trial but not criminally responsible for his actions.
Two men responsible for the beating death of Beau Veenstra were sentenced to jail time this past fall. Daulton Bastien, 27, and Melvin Manley, 51, were each originally charged with second-degree murder, but both pled guilty to manslaughter.
On Dec. 5, Bastien received a sentence of seven-and-a-half years, but will serve just over 69 months after receiving 631 days of enhanced credit for the time he spent in pre-trial custody.
Manley received a sentence of three-and-half years on Nov. 2, but is serving 711 after receiving credit for time served in pre-trial custody.
Michelle Hunter, 43, was also originally charged with second-degree murder but received a sentence of time served on Oct. 20 for pleading guilty to obstruction of justice.
Court heard the 31-year-old victim was beaten by Bastien and Manley in the early morning hours of Sept. 21, 2021 after being accused of trying to steal something from a bedroom dresser.
Veenstra remained duct tapped to a chair for two hours before Manley and Hunter dropped him off at the emergency department in Chatham, than later mislead police about what had happened.
Court heard how Veenstra’s family made the difficult decision to take him off life support and that he lingered for nine days before finally succumbing to his traumatic injuries.
Manley and Hunter declined an offer to address the court, but Bastien took the opportunity to apologize to the family.
“No matter what I say here today, nothing will bring back Beau Veenstra’s life,” Bastien said. “I want the family to know that I am truly and very sorry for all the pain and grief I have caused you. I hope one day you’ll find the strength to forgive.”
Two tragic cases impaired driving causing death also concluded.
Ben Leveille, 36, at the time, pleaded guilty on Jan. 18 to one count of impaired driving causing death and one count of impaired driving causing bodily harm in connection to a single-vehicle crash on July 27, 2020 that resulted when he lost control of his pickup truck and ended up in a water-filled ditch on Jacob Road near Pain Court.
A young girl, who cannot be identified due to a court-ordered publication ban, was airlifted to hospital in London, after being trapped in the vehicle. Leveille was able to free another young girl, and a boy was able to free himself.
The mother of the children’s willingness to forgive Leveille played a role in the sentencing, which was three years in prison for impaired driving causing death and a consecutive one-year sentence for impaired driving causing bodily harm.
Leveille, who was out on bail for much of the time, received 67 days of pre-sentence custody.
When given a chance to address the court, Leveille said, in a barely audible voice, “I want to apologize.
“I don’t know what to say,” he added. “I apologize for what I did. I know it hurt (the) family.”
Sarah Suitor received a five-year prison sentence on July 7 after pleading guilty to two counts of impaired driving causing death in a head-on crash that happened March 8, 2020 on Highway 40 near Wallaceburg taking the lives of Sarnia couple William Hills, 88 , and Rose Hills, 87.
Calling the deaths unavoidable during the sentence hearing, Justice Robert Horton said it was Suitor’s actions that took the lives of the couple.
“Most significantly, of course, is that this occurred while Ms. Suitor was impaired with what is best described as a cocktail of illicit drugs,” the judge said.