Sentence handed down in 2015 stabbing death of William Johnston

Alvin Naistus, 26, will spend 10 years in custody for the 2015 murder of William Johnston, 44, before being eligible for parole, according to the sentence handed down by a Saskatoon judge on Wednesday morning.

Naistus was found guilty of second-degree murder last week by a 12-person jury. During the early morning hours of April 18, 2015, he stabbed Johnston to death outside the Northwoods Inn and Suites during an altercation.

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The conviction carries an automatic life sentence and a period of parole ineligibility between 10 and 25 years.

The Crown argued that Naistus should spend 14 years in custody before being eligible for parole, citing a lengthy criminal record that includes robbery and assault charges.

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Defence lawyer Patrick McDougall contended that much of Naistus’ criminal record occurred when he was a youth. He also detailed a childhood that saw him move between multiple foster care homes.

After handing down his sentence, Judge Neil Gabrielson told Naistus that he hopes he will someday be fit to reintegrate himself into society.