The future possibilities for the youth who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Hannah Leflar became clearer in court on Thursday.
Sixteen-year-old Hannah Leflar was fatally stabbed by Skylar Prockner at her home in January 2015. Court heard how the teen wore gloves as he followed Prockner into Hannah’s home and then stood a few feet away as the 16-year-old girl struggled for her life.
Parole officer Kelly Lato testified Thursday that she considered the youth a high-risk offender.
He has several red flags, she said, adding that psychiatrists and psychologists would immediately be involved if he was in the federal system.
“In my professional experience, there’s more than a depressive offender here,” she said.
If the teen is sentenced as an adult, he’ll receive life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years. On a second-degree murder charge, that would mean he’s in maximum security at the penitentiary, Lato said.
The goal is to keep the offender close to their home if possible, Lato said, which in this case would be the penitentiary in Prince Albert.
When an offender is admitted to the federal system, factors such as substance abuse, emotional issues, family situation, associates, employment, education and attitude are all assessed on intake, Lato said.
Whether the offender has taken responsibility for his crime is important to his future success, Lato said.
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” she said.
The teen would likely need high-intensity programming, which would include 100 sessions that are each about two hours, Lato said. A psychologist would be available daily if needed, she said.
If he’s sentenced as a youth, he would likely be in a penitentiary for four years and then in the community for three years, she said.
The teen could also receive an intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision, or IRCS, sentence. It’s for young offenders with mental health issues who committed a severe crime.
It offers special programming and extra supervision using federal funding. Court also heard it could be more of a challenge to administer that sentence as the youth ages out of the system.
The teen cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Court will resume on Monday, when a psychiatrist will take the stand. Hannah Leflar’s family is also expected to give their victim impact statements.