In a packed courtroom Friday morning, the man who pleaded guilty in the death of RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett in Langford last April, learned he will be serving four years in prison.
Last month, 29-year-old Kenneth Fenton pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death after the pickup truck he was driving on April 5, 2016, collided with Beckett’s cruiser, killing the West Shore RCMP officer.
The court heard Fenton had been drinking before the crash and was distraught over the recent suicide of a friend.
LISTEN: Kenneth Fenton sentenced for impaired driving causing death
During the sentencing the judge said there is no sentence that will end the emotional pain and suffering felt by family and friends.
In June, as Beckett’s husband, Brad Aschenbrenner, read his victim impact statement his hands shook, his voice was low and cracked at times when he told the court about losing the love of his life and the mother of their young sons, Lucas and Emmett.
The hardest thing after his wife’s death was telling six-year-old Lucas “mommy wasn’t coming home,” Aschenbrenner said.
His youngest son was two years old when his mother died and “will have no memory of her at all,” he added.
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He said the family tries to celebrate Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving, but “there’s always the undercurrent of sadness and loss.”
He has not been able to work, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
Aschenbrenner said he left his family in Idaho to come to Canada to be with Beckett. He is scheduled to get his Canadian citizenship at a ceremony on Friday.
Crown attorney Tim Stokes told Fenton’s sentencing hearing in June that the man’s truck was going between 76 and 90 kilometres an hour when it entered the intersection and crashed into Beckett’s vehicle.
READ MORE: Thousands attend funeral for RCMP officer killed in crash
Beckett’s death shook the community, causing an outpouring of grief and support for her family. She had recently returned from maternity leave and left behind a husband and two young children.
Beckett was given a full regimental funeral, which was attended by thousands of people, including police officers from across the province.
Fenton has a history of driving infractions, including an impaired driving charge in 2010.
In May, shortly after Fenton pleaded guilty in the death of Beckett, he faced other impaired driving charges in connection with a second collision that sent a woman to hospital about a month-and-a-half after the crash that killed Beckett.
Fenton is being sued by the passenger of a truck that was found in a ditch on May 22, 2016, on Goldstream Heights Drive, located northwest of Victoria. The passenger claims Fenton was speeding and driving under the influence when he hit the truck, causing it to go into the ditch.
The passenger says she suffered serious injuries in the crash.
Fenton has a history of driving infractions, including an impaired driving charge in 2010.
The second impaired drinking charges have not been proved in court.
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Langford mourns Cst. Sarah Beckett -
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Charges laid against Langford man in crash that killed Cst. Sarah Beckett -
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Constable Sarah Beckett’s killer pleads guilty -
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Memorial held for fallen officer Sarah Beckett -
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RCMP memorial service remembers Const. Sarah Beckett who died in line of duty -
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Man tied to crash that killed RCMP Cst. Sarah Beckett believed to be involved in another collision -
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IIO to investigate crash that killed RCMP Cst. Sarah Beckett -
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Montage of Cst. Sarah Beckett’s regimental funeral
~ with files from Amy Judd and Canadian Press
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