Every day, the death of Carmel Christians replays in her best friend’s mind.
Delores McMartin was there Oct. 16, 2013—the day Carmel was beaten and stabbed to death by her husband James Christians, just outside McMartin’s home.
Carmel had been living there after leaving the abusive marriage.
James Christians was sentenced to life in prison Friday, with no chance of parole for 17 years for second-degree murder.
“Seventeen years is inadequate for the cost of a human life,” McMartin said.
READ MORE: James Christians pleads guilty to second-degree murder in 2013 death of his wife
“I think we need some changes in our system,” she said, fighting back tears.
“I believe that women who flee as victims of domestic violence need a stronger voice; they need stronger protection. This case if nothing else proves you can do all the right things and you can come up with the wrong answers and we need to fix that.”
Christians will be 82 years old when he can apply for release.
“He’s flat, he’s depressed. He doesn’t have much to say, so he didn’t seem to have any emotional reaction to what took place today, which doesn’t surprise me,” his defence lawyer, Robert Batting, said outside of court.
Christians previously apologized to his son as well as Carmel’s family and friends. He said he was suicidal when he killed her.
In sentencing, the Queen’s Bench justice pointed out the domestic violence that ultimately led to Carmel’s death was no one’s fault besides Christians.
“The judge in this case wanted to assure all parties there was nothing they could have done to prevent this. In this case, Ms. Christians had done everything that she appropriately should have done,” Crown prosecutor Kyra Kondro said.
Carmel left James in September 2013. There was an emergency protection order in place when she was killed about a month later.
McMartin was also stabbed as she tried to intervene in the attack on Carmel.
“If she died for anything, if she stood for anything, let this be the message to the law makers and the law breakers that this is not acceptable,” McMartin said.
McMartin said she will forever have a broken heart, but after sentencing, she said she finally has closure.
“For two-and-a-half years I’ve done a ‘shoulda coulda woulda’ and we’ve reached that point where there’s no more second guessing. It’s over.”
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