Nunavut man sentenced to 4 years for manslaughter in 2023 killing in Yellowknife

A Nunavut man convicted of manslaughter has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Darren Nulliayuk was convicted of killing Adam Kakolak in a Yellowknife hotel parking lot in July 2023. He was originally charged with second-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in October.

"Life was lost in a senseless way," said Northwest Territories Supreme Court Justice Louise Charbonneau, as she delivered the sentence on Thursday afternoon. It followed a sentencing hearing held earlier this week.

Charbonneau told the victim's family that no sentence could truly make up for their loss, but also said that restraint is important when deciding on sentences in such cases.

Charbonneau said that at a young age, Nulliayuk had faced as much trauma as many others might experience over their entire lives. However, she said that those circumstances are not excuses for his actions.

Nulliayuk demonstrates "a problematic relationship with alcohol," Charbonneau said, pointing to the 2023 incident in Yellowknife as an example. 

An agreed statement of facts said Nulliayuk, who was 19 at the time of the killing and originally from Taloyoak, Nunavut, was in Yellowknife on July 22, 2023, as a medical escort for his younger brother. 

Kakolak, 35, was also visiting Yellowknife at the time. He asked Nulliayuk to buy alcohol and cigarettes in the Capital Suites parking lot. The men didn't know each other, and both were intoxicated.

Nulliayuk became angry, punching Kakolak and then kicking him in the head when Kakolak was on the ground. Kakolak died a week later from blunt head and neck trauma.

Charbonneau said Nulliayuk should have been assisting his brother with a medical visit at the time, but instead attacked Kakolak for no apparent reason. 

"It is true, Nulliayuk doesn't have a criminal record… but under the wrong conditions, he can become violent," Charbonneau said.

Sentencing and rehabilitation

The Crown had argued for a longer sentence, citing the level of brutality shown in a video of the incident. However, Charbonneau disagreed, stating that while the footage was graphic and disturbing, it did not reach "an extreme level of brutality" compared to other manslaughter cases.

Charbonneau said she agreed with the defence that the Crown's recommendation of six to seven years was excessive. However, she also found the two and a half year sentence suggested by the defence to be insufficient and "not a fit sentence."

She said the case is sad but not exceptional, as alcohol-fuelled violence is "common" in the community.

The judge also referred to a psychologist's report from Nulliayuk's counselling sessions, which described him as "a work in progress."

Charbonneau said the four-year sentence would allow time for Nulliayuk's rehabilitation, with continued counselling sessions at the correctional centre. With time already spent in custody, the judge said Nulliayuk has approximately two years left to serve.

Following his release, Nulliayuk will be subject to three years of probation, with several conditions, including abstaining from alcohol and illegal drugs.

In closing, Charbonneau told Nulliayuk that while he cannot change the past, he can look ahead to the future.

After the sentence was delivered, Crown prosecutor Alex Godfrey told CBC News that he hopes the family will be able to move past this difficult time.