Judge to decide if Luka Gordic's killers should be sentenced as adults
3 men convicted were 17 years old when Gordic was swarmed and stabbed in Whistler in 2015
A court hearing is set to begin Wednesday to determine if three men should be sentenced as adults for their roles in the death of Luka Gordic.
Gordic was just 19 years old when he was swarmed and stabbed to death by a group of teenagers outside a 7-Eleven in Whistler, B.C., in 2015.
The three were convicted in his death this past October — two were found guilty of manslaughter and the third of second-degree murder.
They were all 17 years old at the time and cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The Crown is seeking to have all three sentenced as adults based on several factors.
"Because of the very serious nature of the offence, and the fact that they were all very close to being adults," said Crown counsel Henry Reiner.
"It was, just, in some instances a matter of a couple of months."
Reiner says they now range in age from 19 to 20.
"One of the significant criteria the judge takes into account is whether or not the juvenile regime is sufficient to meet the requirements of sentencing," he said.
An adult sentence would likely mean a significantly longer term behind bars.
Fourth man already sentenced
Another man convicted in Gordic's death, Arvin Golic, has already been sentenced.
Golic was 18 years old at the time and was tried and sentenced as an adult.
In December 2017 he was handed a seven-year prison term for manslaughter.
Gordic's family members were outraged.
Reiner says the hearing for the other three is not expected to conclude this week.
Once all the arguments are heard, the judge will decide if any — or all — of them should be sentenced as adults.
After that, a date will still need to be chosen to begin a sentencing hearing.
"It's ironic that the adult has already ... been dealt with while we're still at this stage with these guys," said Reiner.