The man convicted in the brutal killing of 22-year-old Breanna Menacho in May 2020 will be sentenced Thursday in NWT Supreme Court in Yellowknife.
Devon Larabie pleaded guilty in December 2022 to second-degree murder just as his trial was expected to begin.
He admitted killing Menacho at his Yellowknife apartment on the morning of May 6, 2020.
In an agreed statement of facts, Larabie had been sitting beside Menacho on a couch in his living room when he suddenly attacked her with a hatchet, striking her head, neck and body.
Five others were in the apartment at the time. Three fled immediately after the attack.
Larabie’s motive for the attack is unknown, but he’d been on a lengthy alcohol and crack cocaine-fuelled binge, stated court documents.
The Canadian Criminal Code calls for a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
A shirt produced by Breanna Menacho’s family with the hashtag #justiceforbre. (Photo from Haylani Apparel/Facebook.)
What is left to decide at a sentencing hearing is how long a convict must serve between 10 and 25 years before they are eligible for parole.
At a hearing last December, the Crown and defence lawyers called for a 10-year period for Larabie.
The four-month interim from December to May would allow Menacho’s family to submit victim impact statements and for the preparation of a pre-sentence report on Larabie.
Menacho’s family members have been at every hearing since Larabie was charged.
Stated the family on social media: “This week our family enters hopefully the final stages of seeking justice for my niece Breanna. We will be in court to hear the sentencing and we are ready to have this as part of our past, we look forward to starting our healing journeys.”
In December 2020, Jordan Nande and Lisa Brule each received 10 months in jail and two years’ probation as accessories after the fact to murder in Breanna’s death.
Each received a 10-month sentence, to be followed by two years of probation for helping Larabie evade authorities.
Larabie has been in custody since his arrest. He will have approximately four years of pre-trial custody to deduct from his final sentence. Each day of pre-trial custody is usually worth 1.5 days at sentencing.
