Sheldon Hibbs sentenced to 7 years for manslaughter
CBC
Sheldon Hibbs has been sentenced to seven years in jail for manslaughter in the death of Michael King.
Justice Vikas Khaladkar gave his decision at Supreme Court in St. John's late Thursday afternoon, after considering sentencing submissions delivered earlier this month.
In a nearly empty courtroom, Hibbs, 29, stared stoically straight ahead for most of his court appearance, but when he heard his sentence, his mouth opened slightly a few times before closing into a frown.
Hibbs pleaded guilty in March to manslaughter, accepting a plea deal that saw his charge downgraded from second-degree murder in King's death.
King's body was discovered on a trail between Waterford Valley High School and Holbrook Avenue in the west end of St. John's on May 30, 2021.
During sentencing submissions earlier this month, HIbbs's lawyer Jason Edwards said a four- to six-year prison sentence would be appropriate, given the time his client had already spent in the deteriorating prison.
Crown attorney Ashley Targett sought a seven- to nine-year sentence and listed a number of aggravating factors, including the level of violence of the crime as well as Hibbs's attempts to cover it up and the fact he fled the province.
The sentence set by Khaladkar is in line with what the Crown sought.
"Manslaughter has a wide range, depending on circumstances. So I think that seven years is kind of what we anticipated would fall within the range we were looking for," Targett told CBC News after the sentencing.
Edwards declined an interview.
Khaladkar said he considered a number of factors in determining an appropriate sentence, including the seriousness of the offence and the sentence's role as a deterrent to future crimes.
Among the aggravating factors that led to his decision: the beating that led to King's death was a prolonged attack, and Hibbs didn't offer assistance and then tried to conceal the crime.
Mitigating factors that Khaladkar said he took into consideration included Hibbs's lack of prior criminal history, mental health problems and remorse that the judge believes is sincere.
For years, Khaladkar said, Hibbs self-medicated with substances and alcohol, addictions that are now being treated since he entered prison. If Hibbs had received treatment as a teenager, he said, King might not have died and Hibbs would not be facing years in prison.
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