WARNING: Some of the details in this story are graphic in nature.
An Edmonton man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the April 2017 stabbing death of his mother has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
Wednesday’s court decision means Jason Glenn Dickout will remain in jail for about 10 more months after the credit for the 1,060 days he has already served. Once released, he will face three years probation.
Dickout was 30 when he killed his mother, Kathy, in her kitchen.
On Wednesday, Jason addressed the court, saying he takes full responsibility for his actions.
“It’s something I live with all the time,” he said. “It’s not something that goes away.”
He said he’s taken the time in custody to reflect on his past and future.
“I will not take this risk ever again in any way. I would not take this risk in any way because I love my family.
“This is not me. This is not who I am,” he said.
READ MORE: Man charged in fatal stabbing of woman in northeast Edmonton to undergo assessment
An agreed statement of facts introduced in his case says Dickout and his sister smoked marijuana at 8:30 p.m. on April 16. He took two puffs while his mother was out shopping for groceries.
Kathy Dickout returned home at about 10:30 p.m. and Jason helped her unpack the groceries. Shortly after that, court documents say he started “screaming in a manner similar to experiencing night terrors, exhibiting signs of erratic and anxious behavior, making other animalistic noises and talking nonsensically.”
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His sister tried to calm him down by offering him cannabis oil and he took some. At 12:26 in the morning, Dickout’s sister called 911. She had fled the home and told officers Jason had stabbed their mother and appeared to have suffered a psychotic break.
Police arrived and found Jason naked from the waist down. Blood droplets were on his face and T-shirt and his bare feet were smeared with blood. As police gave him directions, court documents say he retreated back into the home and laughed hysterically.
Police later found Kathy lying on the kitchen floor with a large amount of blood around her head and torso. A six-inch kitchen knife laid next to her. Kathy had been stabbed six times and suffered six more knife wounds. The medical examiner determined the cut that killed her severed her jugular vein and carotid artery.
WATCH BELOW (Sept. 9, 2019): Court documents show a man who stabbed his mother to death in their kitchen was experiencing acute cannabis induced psychosis. Fletcher Kent has more from court where Jason Dickout’s sentencing hearing was supposed to begin.
The Crown had been seeking five years in prison, minus time already served, and two years probation.
The prosecutor argued in court Wednesday that the aggravating factors included that this was an unprovoked and repeated attack on Kathy to vulnerable parts of her body inside her own home. She was unarmed and surprised by the attack. The Crown said Jason took what was then an illegal drug that increased his anxiety and paranoia, which had happened before when he’d taken cannabis. He’d never taken cannabis oil before.
However, mitigating factors included his early guilty plea, and that he’s a first-time offender with no previous criminal record nor history of violence. The Crown admitted Jason had demonstrated remorse and has no reported animosity towards his mother.
The sentence, the Crown argued, should deter Jason from any further drug use, given the extreme reaction he had.
The Crown is also asking that Jason receive psychiatric treatment or counselling, take prescribed medication, abstain from alcohol and drugs, have no contact with his father, and stay at least one block away from the family home in which the crime occurred.
During his address, Jason said he’s already seeing mental health professionals and will do what he can to seek additional support.
“I’m already seeing psychologists, psychiatrists and a grief counsellor,” he said.
“I can never make up for it. But I’ll do what I can to bring love and peace to this world and I won’t ever want to hurt anybody ever again.”
He asked for forgiveness.
“I miss you dearly, mom, every day. I miss your smile, your energy, your love… The harm I caused cannot be undone. I have deep regret.”
The defence had asked for a sentence of three years in prison, followed by lengthy probation.
Jason’s lawyer said the guilt his client feels, the loss the family has suffered, cannot be repaired. It’s torn the whole family apart, Graham Johnson said.
The defence said the moral culpability is quite low.
“Mr. Dickout was extremely disconnected from reality and did not appreciate what he was doing at the time,” Johnson said.
Johnson added this is a highly unusual reaction to cannabis, which is legal now and generally considered safe.
— With files from Fletcher Kent and Sarah Ryan, Global News
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