Adult sentencing hearing starts for Hannah Leflar's killer
Crown prosecutors will argue teenager who stabbed 16-year-old deserves adult sentence
Over the next two weeks, Crown prosecutors will try to make the case that the teenage boy who stabbed Hannah Leflar to death should be sentenced as an adult.
They need to pay for it.- Janet Leflar, Hannah Leflar's mother
Leflar, 16, was murdered in her Regina home by two 16-year-old boys in January 2015. Both teens pleaded guilty to murder but cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act because of their age at the time of the killing.
- Man pleads guilty to 2nd degree murder of 16-year old Hannah Leflar
- Teen, 17, charged in Hannah Leflar death pleads guilty to 1st-degree murder
The Crown is seeking adult sentences for both youths. This hearing is for the 19-year-old boy who stabbed Leflar 10 times and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
An online petition called for Leflar's killers to be treated as adults.
'Project Zombify is complete'
In January 2015, the boys hatched a plan, dubbed "Project Zombify," to hurt Leflar's boyfriend. According to the Crown, it morphed into a plan to kill Leflar.
After her murder, the second teen, who didn't wield a knife, texted a friend that "Project Zombify is complete."
Hannah's mother, Janet Leflar, spoke to reporters in February and voiced her disgust over how "blatant" the execution of the murder was. She expressed hope for adult sentences: "They need to pay for it."
Stiffer sentence
The Crown says it will present evidence and call witnesses, including police officers, psychologists and psychiatrists, in its bid to convince Queen's Bench Justice Jennifer Pritchard to impose an adult sentence.
If the 19-year old at the centre of this hearing is sentenced as a youth, he would receive 10 years, of which six would be behind bars. With time served, he could be out in less than four; however, pre-trial custody is rarely credited by judges for youth murder cases.
If he's sentenced as an adult, he would serve a life sentence in a federal penitentiary with no chance of parole for 10 years, which differs from most adult sentences that restrict parole eligibility to 25 years.
He'd be subject to parole conditions for the rest of his life. His name would also become public.
The adult sentencing hearing for the teenager who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder is scheduled to take place in the fall.