The young offender on trial for the murder of Winston Littlecrow has entered a guilty plea for second-degree murder.
The first-degree murder trial ran for three days before being adjourned on Oct. 7 as lawyers on both sides discussed the teen’s decision to enter a guilty plea.
He can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
He was 17 years old at the time of the shooting in December 2019.
Now the court is moving forward with sentencing him, and prosecutors are considering sentencing him as an adult.
Senior Crown prosecutor Melodi Kujawa said the Crown will analyze pre-sentencing reports and make a decision at that point.
“The Crown hasn’t formulated its position yet because we don’t have those reports, but it is not uncommon of course for the Crown to seek an adult sentence when you have an offender who is so close to being 18 years old,” she said.
Kujawa also noted the seriousness of the crime as another consideration for him to be sentenced as an adult.
Meanwhile, the defence said it feels assured now that the court has accepted the guilty plea and will look at the reports to push for a youth sentence.
“I think my client is quite relieved at this point to have some finality with respect to conviction at least. I think the issue will come down to, as my friend indicated, an issue over sentence whether youth sentence is appropriate or an adult sentence,” Chris Gratton told reporters.
The Crown read out the agreed statement of facts that said that Eiryn Straightnose was at a home on Avenue X and encountered members of a rival gang; that she texted the teen, who was at a McDonald’s restaurant nearby and had access to a gun; and that he came to the residence and shot Littlecrow in the back.
Straightnose pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to nine years behind bars in February.
Littlecrow was 35 years old and a father of five.
He was the 16th homicide of 2019 in Saskatoon, which is the most the city has ever recorded.
The teen’s next appearance is scheduled for Dec. 3.
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