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Everton Javaun Downey, 35, was convicted of second-degree murder in the Dec. 19, 2021 killing of Melissa Blimkie at Metropolis at Metrotown shopping centre.
Evidence at trial showed Downey stabbed Blimkie 15 times in a stairwell at the mall before fleeing the scene with the knife. He later turned himself in to police.
Downey was sentenced on Feb. 13 to life in prison. Under Canadian law, a second-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence, but judges determine when an offender may first apply for parole, within a range of 10 to 25 years.
Crown prosecutors had sought a period of parole ineligibility of at least 15 years. B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes set it at 12 years after reviewing Downey’s Impact of Race and Culture Assessment, or IRCA.
“As I have indicated, Mr. Downey has a substantial criminal record involving violence and firearms,” Holmes wrote in her decision. “I recognize, however, that the aggravating effect of his criminal record is offset in part by the mitigating circumstances of his background, as detailed in the IRCA.”
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The IRCA in Downey’s case was prepared by University of Calgary social work professor Patrina Duhaney.
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Mr. Downey explained to Dr. Duhaney that his experience living in communities which normalized racial diversity shaped his early sense of identity and belonging.”
Downey moved to British Columbia in 2016 and later described feeling isolated.
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The judge said the IRCA outlined broader factors that affected Downey’s life, including poverty, the absence of his father during his early years, domestic violence in the home and exposure to shootings in his neighbourhood.
Holmes wrote the report indicated those circumstances contributed to trauma, negative peer influences and mental health challenges.
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The post BC Man Who Murdered Girlfriend Receives Reduced Parole Ineligibility Partly Due to Race Assessment appeared first on American Renaissance.
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