Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site zaphod.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!alberta!sask!zaphod!timm
From: timm@zaphod.UUCP (Tim Melanchuk)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Re: Turning the Other Cheek
Message-ID: <382@zaphod.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Dec-85 12:56:18 EST
Article-I.D.: zaphod.382
Posted: Tue Dec 17 12:56:18 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Dec-85 00:55:14 EST
References: <1635@bbncca.ARPA>
Reply-To: timm@zaphod.UUCP (Tim Melanchuk)
Organization: Develcon Electronics, Saskatoon, SK
Lines: 28
Summary: 

In article <1635@bbncca.ARPA> rrizzo@bbncca.ARPA (Ron Rizzo) writes:
>Why weren't the killers sentenced to life imprisonment or death (if Canada
>has capital punishment for murder one)?  I found the light sentences they
>received shocking; they weren't all legally juveniles, were they?  Are they
>eventually eligible for parole, as well?

Yes, I believe they were all legally juveniles (ie. less than 18)
according to Canada's Young Offenders Act.  The encouraging fact 
about this case is that they were *not* tried under that much
more lenient act but instead had the case moved into adult court
where they were tried as adults.

The are basically three categories of killing in Canada; 
	- first degree murder; premeditated intent to murder
	- second degree murder; unpremeditated murder (heat of moment)
	- manslaughter; killing where actions may be expected to harm
	  but with no intention to kill ( eg. drunk driving )

I don't recall which crime they were convicted on except that it was not
first degree murder which carries a mandatory life sentence with no
possibility of parole for at least 25 years. Without passing judgement
on Canadian legal definitions of killing, it seems reasonable that they
did not set out to intentionally murder.

-- 
Sex is nobody's business except the three people involved.

Tim Melanchuk		{ihnp4|alberta}!sask!zaphod!timm