Iqaluit girl's killer sentenced to life with no parole for 14 years
Mark King Jeffrey, the man who pleaded guilty to murdering 13-year-old Jennifer Naglingniq in Iqaluit in 2002, was sentenced Friday to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 14 years.
However, Nunavut Justice Earl Johnson ruled that Jeffrey, 26, will receive credit for the time he has served since being arrested in March 2003.
Jeffrey pleaded guilty on April 23 to second-degree murder in the girl's death, which shocked and saddened residents in Nunavut's capital city. The Grade 8 student was found stabbed to death in her home on Dec. 6, 2002.
He received an automatic life sentence for his plea, but Johnson spent this week deciding how many years Jeffrey should serve behind bars before he can be eligible for parole. Jeffrey's lawyers argued for the minimum of 10 years, while the Crown argued for 15.
Johnson told the court Friday morning that he considered many factors in his decision, including Jeffrey's character, the nature of the offence and the circumstances leading up to it.
The judge said Jeffrey had a troubled childhood involving drinking, drug use and violence. He noted that Jeffrey was using crack cocaine on the night of Jennifer's murder, although it was not clear how impaired he was at the time.
Jeffrey had read a letter of apology to the Naglingniq family, plus his guilty plea indicated remorse, Johnson said, adding that it spared everyone involved the ordeal of a long trial. Jeffrey had originally entered a not guilty plea to first-degree murder before pleading guilty to the lesser charge when the trial resumed in April.
At the same time, Johnson described Jennifer's murder as one of the most savage cases in the history of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Johnson also considered the fact that Jeffrey tried to mislead police after the murder, even attempting to divert suspicion to Jennifer's grieving mother, Nicotye Naglingniq.
She was not in the courtroom on Friday. Johnson referred to her victim impact statement, which was read in court on Monday.
In it, Naglingniq wrote that losing a child to violence is unbearable, and she feels Jeffrey claimed the lives of both herself and her daughter on the night of Jennifer's murder.
Johnson said he wanted Nicotye Naglingniq to know the sentence was not a reflection of the value of the life lost, calling Jennifer's death an unnecessary tragedy.
Johnson also said he hopes Jeffrey will never forget the words in the grieving mother's victim impact statement.