An Edmonton man who was found guilty of manslaughter after he confessed to undercover officers that he attacked his six-month-old son was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison on Thursday.
Christopher Lamarche, who is 27, was originally charged with second-degree murder.
His son, Jarock Humeniuk, was found dead in a bassinet with a broken collarbone and damage to his brain and ribs in May 2017.
Justice Sterling Sanderman of Edmonton Court of Queen’s Bench told court that Lamarche has about 8 1/2 years left in his sentence because of the time he has already spent in custody.
Lamarche is also prohibited from owning a firearm for 10 years.
Sanderman said Lamarche confessed to undercover officers two years after Jarock’s death that he was frustrated by his inability to stop his son’s crying and assaulted him.
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That confession came during a Mr. Big sting: a tactic used by law enforcement to get suspects to confess to major crimes like murder.
During a Mr. Big operation, undercover officers will pose as members of a criminal organization. Over time, the suspect is asked and paid to do tasks for the fictitious gang as the officers slowly and secretly gain the person’s trust.
In most Mr. Big stings, these encounters will lead up to a meeting with the crime organization’s boss.
At that point, the suspect is asked to confess anything that could require a cover-up and in exchange, they’ll be permitted to join and receive protection from the criminal organization.
During the trial, court heard Lamarche admitted to the undercover officers that he had choked, bent and shook baby Jarock — at one point even re-enacting what happened.
— with files from Meaghan Craig, Karen Bartko and Sarah Ryan, Global News
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