Influx of victim impact statements forces delay in sentencing for Cooper Nemeth killer
A sentencing expected Monday for the killer of Winnipeg high school student Cooper Nemeth has been delayed due to the sheer number of victims wanting to speak about how the teen's murder affected them.
The Crown revealed in court Monday morning that they've received 96 victim impact statements.
As a result, sentencing of Nicholas Bell-Wright, 23, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last November in the 2016 death of Nemeth, has been delayed to a later date. There will be a hearing next Monday to debate the admissibility of each victim impact statement.
"We are willing to wait," said Nemeth's mother, Gaylene, outside of the courtroom.
All of the voices of people who have been affected by the death should be heard by the court, she said. Nemeth's family are not going anywhere and neither is Bell-Wright, she added.
Friends and family of Nemeth had filled the courtroom on Monday expecting Justice Glenn Joyal to deliver Bell-Wright's sentence at Court of Queen's Bench. The minimum sentence for second-degree murder is life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.
Joyal said the number of statements is "something that I've never seen and most judges have never seen." The justice said he does not want the number of statements to make it appear as though they have affected his decision on parole eligibility for Bell-Wright.
Crown attorney Keith Eyrikson pointed to the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, which came into force in 2015 and gives every victim the right to present a victim impact statement in a sentencing. While Joyal asked for a limit to the number of statements, Eyrikson said the Crown can't make the judgment about which ones can go forward.
Defence lawyer Barry Sinder said he would want to assess the admissibility of each statement and review them with his client.
Joyal said the process should happen quickly because the "family deserves closure," the accused deserves clarity and "the community deserves an end to this awful tragedy."
Nemeth, a Grade 12 student at River East Collegiate and a player with the River East Marauders AA hockey team, was last seen alive by friends on Feb. 14, 2016.
The teenager had left a house party in East Kildonan, according to an agreed statement of facts provided to court, and met up with Bell-Wright.
He had told Nemeth he could help him set up a drug deal. The two left the home in Bell-Wright's car.
"A violent encounter subsequently occurred," Crown attorney Mike Himmelman previously told court.
Bell-Wright shot Nemeth twice in the head with a .22-calibre semi-automatic pistol.
Nemeth's parents reported him missing later that day.
A massive search effort attracted hundreds of volunteers, including members of the Bear Clan Patrol. Flyers with a photograph of the teenager were posted around Winnipeg.
On Feb. 20, Nemeth's body was found in a garbage bin behind a house on Bayne Crescent, just one street over from the house party where he was last seen.
Bell-Wright was arrested the following morning.
A preliminary inquiry was originally scheduled, but Bell-Wright was directly indicted last March.
The death had a lasting impact on the community. There was a vigil to remember the teenager one year after his disappearance and a Winnipeg mother credited Nemeth and his family for inspiring her son to get help for his drug addiction.
Nemeth's family has also continued to work with the Bear Clan Patrol, leader James Favel previously told CBC News.
