In what the judge called one of the toughest decisions heâs ever made, the Âé¶čAV woman who fatally stabbed Eli Beauregard in June 2019, has avoided jail time.
Judge Gregory Korturbash sentenced the woman, who canât be named due to her being a minor at the time of the offence, to spend 24 months in an Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision (IRCS) program. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter in April.
âOver the past month, I have agonized over what the appropriate sentence should be. As a parent, the thought of losing a child to such a senseless act is unimaginable,â Kortubash said while rendering his decision on Monday, July 12.
âWe have already lost one young person and we â meaning all of us â need to do what we can not to lose another.â
Under the IRCS program, the woman is subject to a number of conditions, including a six-month period in which sheâs not allowed to leave her home without permission from her youth worker. If she doesnât abide by the conditions of the program, she could be arrested and made to spend the entire sentence behind bars.
âWhen we donât provide those resources, kids fall through the cracks. Thatâs what happened here⊠She tried to access resources many times and often they werenât available or not available until something like this happens, â said the womanâs defence lawyer Joe Killoran.
âIf something like and IRCS was available for one, or both or many of the kids on the streets, a lot of tragedies could be prevented.â
Through Korturbashâs decision, the court heard both youths were living on the street in Âé¶čAV when the young woman stabbed 16-year-old Beauregard twice in the arm, lacerating an artery and eventually causing his death, on June 29, 2019.
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The woman struggled with a number of mental health illnesses, including borderline personality disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as substance and alcohol abuse. She was intoxicated at the time of the attack.
âUnlike most other teenagers, you were not well equipped to deal with or control your anger impulses that day. Youâve made very significant efforts to turn your life around,â Kortubash said, directly addressing the woman.
Since 2019, she has completed a substance use treatment program and is living on her own in another B.C. city.
Explaining the gravity of his decision, Korturbash left the young woman with some parting words.
âDonât let me down, maâam. Donât let Elijah down, donât let his parents down. Thereâs a lot on your shoulders⊠You need to do your best, okay?â
As proceedings ended, Judge Gregory Koturbash addressed the woman directly: "Dont let me down, ma'am. Don't let Elijah down, don't let his parents down. There's a lot on your shoulders... You need to do your best, okay?"
â Michael Rodriguez (@MichaelRdrguez)