A young Montrealer guilty of the murder of a 16-year-old teenager after school has just received almost the maximum provided for in the law for minors, but this remains insufficient in the eyes of the deceased’s mother.
“He should have received 20 years or 30 years, the punishment does not match the crime… My child is dead… I am serving a life sentence,” said an emotional Charla Dopwell-Bailey, this Monday at the Youth Chamber in Montreal.
Just before, the murderer of Jannai Dopwell-Bailey was sentenced to six years in custody for his crime committed in October 2021. The murderer was then 16 years old, so the law protects his identity.
At the time, young Jannai was studying in a school in the Côte-des-Neiges district. However, while finishing classes that day, he was attacked by a group of individuals.
Knife attack
First sprayed with cayenne pepper, he tried to flee, before being caught and pushed against a wall. It was then that he was stabbed at least six times, before collapsing to the ground.
“It was a vicious attack, a senseless crime,” recalled Judge Annie Émond of the Superior Court.
The attackers fled, but a few hours later, the accused wanted to taunt his victim, by posting a video online to celebrate the murder, knife in hand.
“He took someone’s life, he must understand the harm he did,” commented the judge.
Criminally charged, the teen was found guilty of second-degree murder. But if the Crown hoped that the young person would be subject to an adult sentence, the judge concluded that this was not necessary.
Rehabilitation
Among other things, she cited several expert reports, which concluded that the young murderer lacked maturity, as can be seen in minors.
And given the rehabilitation efforts of the young murderer, she considered that the maximum sentence provided for adolescents, namely seven years in custody, was too high. She therefore imposed a sentence of six years, less twelve months of “preventative”.
And of these years, only two will be served in a closed center, since the rest will take place “under supervision in the community”.
Me Tiago Murias of the defense called the sentence “considered”, while Me Simon Robin of the prosecution announced that he would analyze everything before deciding whether he would appeal the case.
Because for the victim’s mother, this is an injustice.
“Black lives matter,” commented Charla Dopwell-Bailey, referring to the American slogan “Black Lives Matter”. My child’s life mattered.”
