Cape Breton man sentenced for role in 'horrendous' stabbing in Sydney
Joseph Frederick Evong sentenced to 12 years, but will spend only a fraction of that time in prison
A Cape Breton man was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison for his role in a 2019 stabbing death that happened inside a Sydney, N.S., apartment.
Joseph Frederick Evong will spend only a fraction of that time — just over two years — in custody after being given a 27-month credit for his guilty plea, and seven years and seven months credit for the five years he spent in jail awaiting trial.
Evong and his co-accused, Jessica Anne MacDonald, previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of Stephen Rose, a 41-year-old father of four.
In handing down his sentence, Justice Joshua Arnold of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court said Evong and MacDonald acted in concert to attack Rose, who was stabbed 147 times.
"The crime committed upon Mr. Rose … was horrendous," Arnold told the courtroom. "The facts that were available to the Crown to prove who was responsible for various aspects of the crime were poor."
Multiple wounds, other injuries
Rose was found dead inside MacDonald's Sydney apartment in November 2019. In addition to the knife wounds Rose suffered, a medical examiner's report noted he had multiple blunt force injuries, one finger had been amputated, and his body was found with a belt around the neck.
The judge accepted that Evong and Rose started arguing after each went separately to visit MacDonald at her apartment. Both men had been drinking and carrying a knife, but it was Evong who initiated a knife fight with Rose after he retreated to a bedroom.
Arnold accepted defence evidence that Evong has had a problem with alcohol and had been on a five-day drinking binge when he killed Rose.
Evong offers apology
Evong offered an apology for his role in Rose's death, saying he did not have the proper words to say he is sorry.
Members of Rose's family did not wish to speak to reporters outside the courtroom after the sentence was delivered.
Earlier this week, loved ones spoke in court about the toll his violent death — and the years-long road to justice — has taken on their lives.
They told the judge that returning time and time again to the courthouse reopened wounds, particularly for Rose's grieving father, who died a year ago.
"I firmly believe he literally died from a broken heart over your actions," Richard Rose, the victim's younger brother, said Wednesday while looking directly at Evong.
"Dealing with this huge loss is hard enough on its own, but having to deal with the frustrations of the court process has been complete torture. These past four years have prolonged and impacted our ability to grieve."
'Horrible, senseless act'
Katie Laybolt, the mother of Stephen Rose's nephews, described the victim as having a big personality and someone who was fiercely loyal.
"It provided us all with a sense of security … knowing we all had that one guy who would go to any length to protect his family and friends, the people he loved," she said.
Laybolt described what happened to Rose as a "horrible senseless act," and said his family was left feeling stress and isolation while struggling alone with the details of what happened.
In final submissions, Crown attorney Kathy Pentz read an agreed statement of facts that said Rose emerged from the apartment bedroom bleeding, while Evong made a comment that he had "got him" in the liver.
The two men continued fighting in the hall of the apartment, while MacDonald tried to intervene before stabbing Rose in the back of the neck at least once.
The Crown asked Arnold to consider several aggravating factors in sentencing Evong, including the gratuitous violence in Rose's death and Evong's prior criminal record that includes robberies, assault and weapons offences.
MacDonald is scheduled for her own sentencing on Dec. 20.
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