A 21-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years in connection with the killing of a Montreal teenager in 2021.
Jannai Dopwell-Bailey, who was just 16 years old at the time of his death, was attacked and stabbed repeatedly outside his school in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood in October 2021.
“It’s over. He got a life sentence and I’m satisfied with the life sentence,” said his mother Charla Dopwell outside the Montreal courtroom.
Andrei Donet was found guilty of second-degree murder last month for his role in the attack.
A second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with parole eligibility varying between 10 and 25 years.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Annie Émond said factors working against Donet included the severity of the crime and his behaviour after the attack.
Émond was referencing a video about the crime that was posted to social media and the assault of another inmate while in detention.
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The judge also considered Donet’s age, saying his youth means he’ll have time for rehabilitation.
Dopwell-Bailey’s family wasn’t convinced at his chances for rehabilitation, saying he showed no remorse during the trial.
“He don’t care,” said Dopwell. “Knowing the person he is I don’t think he will be eligible for any parole, he’s a demon.”
And while Thursday’s sentence brings some closure, it’s still not over for Dopwell-Bailey’s family.
In 2023, a minor — the other person charged in the killing — was also found guilty of second-degree murder.
According to witness testimony given during the trial that concluded in May, Donet used pepper spray on Dopwell-Bailey during the attack, and it was the minor who stabbed the victim repeatedly.
The minor has yet to be sentenced.
When that time comes, Dopwell said she’ll be able to put the case behind her but never will she forget her son.
“My son is always in my heart, he is always with me 24/7,” she said.
The family hopes others will learn from this tragedy.
“They shouldn’t do something like that again to other children,” she said.
Fo Niemi of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations says the focus for the family and wider community will now be on healing and violence prevention.
“How do we prevent this from happening in the future? I think that is very important,” he said.
— with files from Global News’ Phil Carpenter
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