An appeal hearing was held Wednesday to decide whether a sentence will stand for a man charged for a 2013 stabbing.
Addison Wakefield was given a life sentence for the January 2013 stabbing death of Lethbridge resident George Span.
Wakefield and his co-accused, Michael Mitchell, were both originally convicted of second degree murder.
They appealed that conviction, and both agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Mitchell got 15 years, while Wakefield got 18 years. He’s now appealing that sentence.
Wakfield’s lawyer, Karen Molle, argued during the appeal hearing on Wednesday that her client should have gotten the same sentence as Mitchell.
She said the deciding judge did not give enough consideration to the progress and efforts Wakefield has made during his time in jail. She stated he’s not only working on bettering his education and getting good grades, but also took integrated correctional programming to deal with underlying issues in terms of the risk to reoffend. He is also working hard on a relationship with his family.
She added the judge did not lay out any facts that stated Wakefield had any more involvement in the murder of George Span than his co-accused, yet her client was given a longer sentence.
Crown prosecutor Brian Graff said he does not believe the judge made any errors in his sentence. He stated Wakefield’s prior conviction of manslaughter from just a few years earlier was an aggravating factor. In 2010, he plead guilty to manslaughter in the death of Lyle Madge. He was originally charged with second degree murder in that death, as well.
The Crown also pointed out that Mitchell’s Gladue report was given considerable weight in his sentencing, which contributed to him getting the 15 year sentence.
The appeals court has reserved its decision with no timeline given as to when one can be expected.
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