HALIFAX – A Nova Scotia man will learn this week how much time he’ll spend behind bars, more than three years after he shot and killed his own son during a home invasion.
Michael Paul Dockrill, 56, was charged with 14 offences, including discharging a firearm with intent, criminal negligence causing death and manslaughter in the 2012 death of his son, Jason Dockrill.
Police were called to Dockrill’s home on St. Margaret’s Bay Road on June 12, 2012 after two masked men broke into the home. During the home invasion, Michael Dockrill grabbed a rifle and fired it as the intruders struggled with his son, Jason.
Instead of hitting the suspects, Michael shot his 20-year-old son. Jason was found dead at the home when RCMP arrived.
Police and the Crown Attorney waited more than three months to lay charges against Dockrill.
A jury found him guilty of criminal negligence causing death in April of 2015. His sentencing is scheduled for December 17.
The conviction comes with a mandatory sentence of at least four years in prison. Michael’s lawyer has called the mandatory sentence unconstitutional and plans to present arguments challenging the mandatory sentence.
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