Man who fatally bludgeoned sleeping stranger handed life sentence

A Calgary man who beat a sleeping stranger to death with a pipe has been handed a life sentence with no chance of parole for 11 years.

Eight years before his death, the victim in the case, Darrin Thomas Amond, 40, was convicted of manslaughter in an unrelated beating death of a stranger who was unable to give him a cigarette.

On Friday, Court of King's Bench Justice Robert Hall indicated he would have sided with prosecutors Matthew Block and Tara Wells — who proposed a 14-year parole ineligibility period for Jeremy Whincup — but the judge said the killer's mental illnesses, low IQ and Indigenous heritage had to be taken into account.

The judge had heard Whincup has an IQ of 65 and suffers from schizophrenia. At the time of the killing, he was in a state of psychosis, a forensic psychiatrist found.

Hall recommended Whincup start serving his sentence at a regional psychiatric centre in Saskatchewan or B.C.

On July 18, 2019, Whincup randomly attacked Amond, who was sleeping near a bus shelter at the corner of 32nd Avenue and 36th Street N.E.

Whincup repeatedly struck Amond with a metal pipe, the judge noted in handing down the sentence.

'Gratuitous' violence

Amond never regained consciousness after the attack. He died in hospital 11 days later after his family removed him from life support.

"The violence was gratuitous. It was unprovoked," said Hall.

Defence lawyer Jim Lutz asked that his client be allowed to apply for release after 10 years.

Previous manslaughter conviction

Amond previously served an eight-year sentence for manslaughter after he was convicted in the beating death of a stranger.

Marcus Tremaine Deveaux was found in an Inglewood snowbank in February 2010. Amond and Richard Ceasor attacked Deveaux after he was unable to provide them with a cigarette.

Deveaux was beaten so viciously, he had to be identified by dental records.

Victim impact statement 

Amond's sister wrote a victim impact statement after Whincup was convicted.

"Some would say that he was a street person who lived a life of crime and wasn't worth anything," wrote Jewel Amond.

"My brother got caught up in addiction and became very sick, but I always hoped someday he would get clean and become a tattoo artist like he dreamt of."