Taya Sinclair’s friends and family read aloud stories of love and loss through tears during Chelsey Wilma Crowe’s sentencing Wednesday.
“A part of me was taken the day Taya was taken and it will never return,” Sinclair’s mother Lory told the court.
Sinclair’s burned remains were found in a snow pile in Prince Albert, Sask., days after the 24-year-old went missing in March 2022.
Crowe, 35, received nine years after pleading guilty to two counts of unlawful confinement and two counts of assault against Sinclair and her boyfriend, Kenith Bell.
She will serve roughly six years after credit for time served following Justice Andrew Davis accepting a joint submission.
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She was originally charged with manslaughter in Sinclair’s death.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Crowe lured Bell into her apartment, assaulting and zip-tying him before putting him in a closet.
She used his phone to lure Sinclair to the apartment and beat her before locking her in the closet as well.
Sinclair was later taken away from the apartment and the statement of facts says Crowe did not have contact with her again.
It also includes a statement from Crowe confirming she was a high-ranking member of the Terror Squad street gang.
Davis agreed with the Crown’s argument that Crowe played a central role in everything that happened to Sinclair and Bell.
He spoke directly to Crowe, saying, “You will get out and will have a big choice ahead of you. The easy choice is to fall back into your old pattern. The hard choice is to change your life. I hope you take that to heart.”
The court also heard from Sinclair’s aunt Tiffany, who said what hurts the most is knowing that Sinclair did nothing to deserve her fate.
Michael Smillie, 58, remains on trial for Sinclair’s death and is charged with first-degree murder.
He has pleaded not guilty.
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