Two accused of being accessories after the fact to murder each sentenced to 10 months
Judge says moral blameworthiness of pair reduced by abuse, neglect they faced as children
Two people who helped cover up a killing in Yellowknife last spring have been sentenced to 10 months in jail and two years' probation.
Jordan Nande and Lisa Brulé admitted they helped cover up the killing of 22-year-old Breanna Menacho. Her body was found in a Yellowknife apartment on May 6, according to the RCMP.
Devon Larabie is charged with murder in connection with Menacho's death. His preliminary inquiry is scheduled to take place in June.
In delivering her decision on Wednesday, Justice Karan Shaner of the Northwest Territories Supreme Court said one of the most important pieces of information she received during the sentencing hearing held two days earlier was a victim impact statement from Menacho's grieving mother.
The statement was read aloud in court by prosecutor Blair MacPherson.
"I can't explain how broken my heart is or how empty I feel," wrote Menacho's mother, Lisa Zoe. "Each day is a struggle because sadly for us life goes on without Breanna."
Zoe said the blow of losing her daughter is even greater, knowing that her other daughter has lost the person she considered her best friend.
"She was sweet and kind and loving," said Zoe of Breanna. "This is why it is so hard to believe anyone would consider harming her in any way."
Brulé attended the hearing by video from jail in Fort Smith. She wept as the statement was read and kept repeating, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Nande, who was present in court, wore a white t-shirt and with his head slightly bowed, stared straight ahead, closing his eyes at times.
At the request of the prosecutor, a temporary publication ban has been placed on details of Menacho's death that came out at the sentencing hearing. CBC is challenging the ban. Justice Shaner said she will issue a written decision on it by Dec. 18.
Reduced moral blame
The judge said she had no trouble accepting that both Brulé and Nande's moral blameworthiness for their part in Menacho's death is diminished by the neglect and abuse they faced as children.
During the sentencing hearing, Shaner heard that Brulé was apprehended by social services at the age of eight. She has lived in between five and eight foster homes in Yellowknife and Fort Simpson. She was diagnosed with mild to moderate fetal alcohol spectrum disorder at age 10, according to her lawyer, Peter Harte. He said Brulé began drinking at age 13 because it helped ease her anxiety and depression.
Brulé began cutting herself at age 10, said Harte. That eventually escalated to suicidal feelings which led her to admit herself to Stanton Territorial Hospital for care.
Nande had a similar childhood.
According to his lawyer, Jay Bran, Nande's biological father died when he was only a few months old. An unspecified family member beat up his mother repeatedly when both sober and intoxicated. When Nande tried to intervene, the attacker turned on him. He was in foster care from age six or seven until he was 16.
Bran said Nande began using crack cocaine about a month before Menacho's death. He was using it almost on a daily basis at the time she died.
Both Nande and Brulé have been in custody since they were arrested days after Menacho's death. With credit for time served, Brulé's jail sentence has already been served. Because Nande was also sentenced on an unrelated charge, he has about two and a half months remaining on his sentence.