Three men convicted in the swarming death of a Calgary teen were sentenced Monday.
Lukas Strasser-Hird died after being attacked in an alley behind a downtown Calgary nightclub in November 2013.
READ MORE: Lukas Strasser-Hird family clings to memories of murdered teen
Assmar Shlah and Franz Cabrera have been found guilty of second-degree murder, while Joch Pouk was found guilty of manslaughter.
Shlah and Cabrera faced automatic life sentences with no chance of parole for at least 10 years.
Cabrera was sentenced to 15 years parole ineligibility Monday; Shlah was sentenced to 12 years.
“Our son was fantastic,” said Dale Hird, Lukas’ father. “He was just a fantastic boy and they really, really hurt him bad.
“This sentence does not reflect that.”
READ MORE: Jury reaches verdict in swarming death of Calgary’s Lukas Strasser-Hird
The prosecution had argued Cabrera was the main aggressor, saying he used a weapon in the attack and was out on bail when it happened. Crown prosecutor Ken McCaffrey said Shlah has significant issues surrounding his temper and a strong message needed to be sent to the public.
“Both Mr. Shlah and Mr. Cabrera were sentenced to life today,” McCaffrey said. “They could very well spend the rest of their life in prison and even if they did get out on parole, they will be under strict conditions for the rest of their life.”
Pouk was convicted of manslaughter. He was sentenced to seven years minus time served, which means he could be eligible for parole in two years.
“There’s certainly been a message sent, because we have some really young men who are going to be in jail for a very long time as the result of one night of stupid decision-making fuelled by alcohol,” said Ramey Katrib, Pouk’s defence lawyer.
READ MORE: Swarming victim Lukas Strasser-Hird asked paramedics if he was going to die
A fourth man, Jordan Liao, was charged with second-degree murder and later acquitted.
A fifth man, Nathan Gervais, is accused of first-degree-murder in the case. He was out on bail and disappeared right before the trial. A warrant remains out for his arrest.
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