Driver who killed Linnea Veinotte sentenced to 21 years in prison
The Grenada driver who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of 36-year-old New Brunswick native Linnea Veinotte has been sentenced to 21 years and eight months in prison.
Akim Frank's sentence was delivered in court in the country's capital city, St. George's, and communicated to CBC News by Christopher Nelson, the director of public prosecutions.
Veinotte, her husband, and their two young sons were living in Grenada in 2015.
She had taken a job at the university there.
Although born and raised in New Brunswick, she lived in Lunenburg and Glen Haven in Nova Scotia and studied biology at Acadia University. She earned her doctorate in genetics at the University of British Columbia.
On the morning of Dec. 6, 2015, Veinotte had gone out for some exercise with her dog.
When she didn't return home, her husband, Matthew Veinotte, reported her missing.
A six-day island-wide search ensued and only came to an end when Frank turned himself into police.
The prosecutor's office confirmed that local news reports were correct in what they said Frank confessed to the police.
According to those reports, Frank said he was in a hurry to return a borrowed SUV that morning and collided with Veinotte by accident.
He said she was still alive and he put her in the back seat with the intention of taking her to the hospital.
But en route, he came to believe she had died.
He told police he got scared and ditched Veinotte's body near a golf course.
He would later lead police to her remains.
Veinotte's death was a shock to her friends and the academic community.
According to local media, Frank had a previous criminal record, including a nine-month jail sentence for burglary.
The prosecutor's office said he can apply for parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence.
Born in New Denmark, N.B., Veinotte was the daughter of Rev. Douglas and Karen Moore of Fredericton.
