Teen who lied to police after Tyson MacDonald's death sentenced to 2 more months in custody
'I feel terrible for not telling the truth,' teen tells packed Georgetown courtroom
A teenager who pleaded guilty to misleading police after 17-year-old Tyson MacDonald disappeared in eastern P.E.I. in mid-December, sparking a huge search before his body was found, has been sentenced to two more months in youth jail plus 30 days of community supervision.
The teen has already been in custody for four months at the youth jail in Summerside, where he has been housed apart from other inmates. He pleaded guilty in February to public mischief through misleading police and obstruction of justice.
"It is not just the dollar cost of the resources expended, it is the human cost, the people who diligently searched," Provincial Court Judge Nancy Orr said, describing the misdirected hunt for MacDonald that the teen's lies set in motion, eventually including scores of civilians as well as 60 police officers, dog teams, aircraft and drones scouring eastern P.E.I.
"It is the toll on the community, the shattered trust… Those are the factors that make [his] actions so serious."
Yet the judge noted some mitigating factors: The young man had no prior record, took responsibility for his actions, and "acknowledged his wrongdoing through his guilty plea."
Set out to watch hockey game
The last time MacDonald's family heard from the Grade 12 student, he said he was going to a hockey game in Charlottetown with some friends.
His body was found in a wooded area several days after he vanished, and two youths were charged with first-degree murder and interfering with human remains. The other teen, who still faces those two charges, has not yet entered a plea. His case is due back in court in June.
The teen sentenced Friday pleaded guilty in February to public mischief and obstruction, while the more serious charges were stayed.
He had backed the other teen's story that the two of them saw MacDonald getting into a Honda Civic driven by a young woman with a flower tattoo on her left arm.
That story led police and community members on a fruitless search for someone who didn't exist, until cellphone records pointed investigators in the right direction, according to the agreed statement of facts in the case.
"He made the decision to be selfish and he lied," MacDonald's sister Britney wrote of the teen being sentenced, in a victim impact statement read out by a Victim Services staff member. "He took away my family's opportunity to say goodbye."
A publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act prevents CBC News from naming either of the two accused people, as well as any details that could lead to their being identifiable to the public.
As the victim, MacDonald's name was also covered by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, but the family gave permission for CBC News to identify him.
'It all started with lies'
Earlier Friday, Crown prosecutor Jeff MacDonald had told the packed Georgetown courtroom that the teen "frustrated the efforts of all those searching for Tyson" after he vanished, and gave the community "false hope" that he was alive and well somewhere.
"I have cried every day since Dec. 14, 2023, and it all started with lies," Tyson MacDonald's mother Amanda MacDonald wrote in a victim impact statement.
The agreed statement of facts in the case, read out in court when the teen pleaded guilty, reveals more about what happened before and after MacDonald disappeared.
It says the other accused teen told police that the teen being sentenced Friday:
- was not present when MacDonald died of a gunshot wound,
- did not help move his body, and
- did not know MacDonald was dead when he backed up the first teen's story of MacDonald being picked up by a young woman in a car.
The statement also said the teen "felt pressured" by the other youth to give false statements to police on three occasions. Although "there were no explicit threats of violence," the statement said, the teen told police he knew the other boy "had access to various firearms."
As has happened for every court appearance the accused have made in the case so far, friends and relatives of MacDonald marched outside the courthouse Friday morning holding signs calling for justice for the Montague Regional High School Grade 12 student.
They and others later crowded into the courthouse, but an official had to stop letting people in, apologizing and saying he "can't stretch the walls" of the room.
School principal writes of impact
Another statement was read out on behalf of Montague Regional High School principal Robyn MacDonald.
"Our school has suffered loss many times before," she wrote in the statement. "We've lost students, staff members, and community members. One of our staff members has lost 10 students during their career at MRHS."
But Tyson MacDonald's death was different, she wrote. The principal described "a barrage of daily trauma" as the search for the student continued — and eventually, when his body was found.
Robyn MacDonald said staff went from class to class that day, letting students know the grim news.
"We were just holding on," she wrote. "Sometimes it feels like we're still holding on."
Attendance falters the days of court appearances, and in the days that follow… Groups of students who were once close friends have separated.— Montague Regional High School principal Robyn MacDonald
The tragedy continues to disrupt life at the school months later, she said.
"Attendance falters the days of court appearances, and in the days that follow… Groups of students who were once close friends have separated."
There have been fights both on and off school property, the principal wrote.
"Our students are suffering. Their parents are suffering… They have watched their children grow up the best of friends, only to see that unravel."
A cruel 'blind chase'
Tyson MacDonald's sister Sierra, who wrote in her victim impact statement that the teen being sentenced "did not pull the trigger, but he did lie to police."
That act contributed to the agony her family was experiencing, she said, and "wasted hundreds of people's time… The longer the hunt went on, the more it seemed like there was no truth to the story."
That was echoed by Tyson's father and stepmother, Kent MacDonald and Shannon Morriscey.
Because of this lie, Tyson lay in a field for days… He could've been found sooner, and maybe his family could've seen him and said goodbye.— Kent MacDonald and Shannon Morriscey
"The blind chase we were sent on was such a cruel ordeal," they wrote. "Friends, family, and community members spent days searching with us...
"Because of this lie, so much time and manpower was wasted. Because of this lie, Tyson lay in a field for days… He could've been found sooner, and maybe his family could've seen him and said goodbye."
Custodial sentence recommended
The Crown and defence had agreed that the teen at the heart of Friday's sentencing should serve jail time.
"Nothing short of a custodial sentence will bring home to [him] the seriousness and severity of his actions," said prosecutor Jeff MacDonald, pointing out that tens of thousands of dollars were spent on the ground and air search for Tyson MacDonald while the teen being sentenced continued to insist on his initial story.
"What is impossible to understand… he repeated the lies three times. It's unfathomable," the Crown prosecutor said.
"The right thing to do was so easy. Rather than helping and assisting the community by providing desperately needed information, he did the exact opposite."
MacDonald called the teen's claim that he had no idea that the missing youth was dead "hollow," adding that he "had to have known something was seriously wrong. To suggest otherwise is to completely ignore common sense."
He did acknowledge that the teen is at a low risk to reoffend, comes from a very supportive family, and "doesn't have an easy road ahead of him."
Teen apologizes to court
Calling the teen "deeply remorseful," defence lawyer Derek Bondt said he agreed with the Crown's sentence recommendation.
"There's no question he recognizes, and takes responsibility for the pain and suffering his lies did cause," said Bondt.
If I could go back, I would do things differently. But I cannot… I feel terrible for not telling the truth.— Teen who pleaded guilty to misleading police
After the pre-sentencing report, the teen was asked if he wanted to speak to the courtroom.
"I would just like to take this opportunity to say I am truly sorry for the harm I have caused," he said. "If I could go back, I would do things differently. But I cannot…
"I did not intend to cause harm to anyone. I feel terrible for not telling the truth."
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story said the teenager was in custody at the Provincial Correctional Centre in Charlottetown. In fact, the teenager was in custody at a youth jail in Summerside.Apr 19, 2024 6:33 PM AT
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With files from Steve Bruce