A Kelowna man convicted in a high profile murder case was handed a 15 year sentence on Friday.
But Neil Snelson, 45, will just serve 11 years in jail for the killing of college student Jennifer Cusworth, 19, in 1993.
He got four years credit for time already spent behind bars.
The judge in the case, Madam Justice Alison Beames, said Snelson’s testimony was evasive and that his story crumbled under cross-examination.
During the hearing, Beames said she believed Snelson sexually assaulted Cusworth the night she was murdered.
“I reject and completely disbelieve Mr. Snelson’s evidence that he had consensual sex with Ms. Cusworth,” the judge said during the sentencing hearing.
In sentencing Snelson to 15 years, Beames noted several aggravating factors to his crime, such as the brutality of the murder, the sexual assault and Cusworth’s vulnerability.
Going in his favour were that he has led a productive life in the years following the killing and has not been charged with any other crimes since.
Previous coverage:
The Kelowna man convicted in a high profile murder case will learn how long he will spend behind bars Friday afternoon.
Neil Snelson, 45, was found guilty of manslaughter in October for the killing of college student Jennifer Cusworth, 19, in 1993.
His sentencing hearing began Thursday and included a victim impact statement from Jean and Terry Cusworth stating how they have been haunted by the murder of their daughter.
The judge is expected to deliver Snelson’s sentence at 2 p.m.
He has spent two years behind bars awaiting trial and will receive double credit for that time.
The punishment for manslaughter covers a very wide spectrum from a suspended sentence to life in prison.
The Crown is seeking up to 20 years imprisonment for Snelson while his lawyers are suggesting as little as eight years.
Comments