What sentence should be imposed on the murderer of Thomas Cameron?

The pleadings on the sentence took place on Monday at the Sherbrooke courthouse. Judge Benoit Gagnon, who sits in the Youth Division of the Court of Quebec, is responsible for making this decision.

Recall that the murderer had pleaded guilty to one count of second degree murder in July 2021 at the Sherbrooke courthouse. It is not possible to identify him since he was a minor at the time of the events. As since the start of the proceedings, the one who is 21 today looked at the ground without expressing the slightest emotion throughout the day.

The criminal and penal prosecuting attorney, Me Nathalie Robidoux, said that Thomas Cameron had been left in a pool of blood and that the murderer had fled. She also indicated that 62 wounds had been noted on the victim’s body.

Me Robidoux pointed out that the evidence was overwhelming in the case and that the motive for the crime was incomprehensible and disproportionate. The prosecution also argued that there was some planning in the murder of Thomas Cameron.

” The accused knew what he was doing before, during and after the murder. Thomas was a vulnerable victim. There was a total surprise effect. Thomas went to this appointment unsuspecting. The inexplicable motive adds to the seriousness of the offence. […]. There was a relentless attack on the victim. The accused pursued the victim for several meters and even an intervention by the park warden did not change anything. »

Defense attorney Kim Dingman agreed that the August 3, 2019 event escalated, that it was violent, but that it was unplanned. The accused showed up empty-handed. He reacted to Thomas’s gesture of showing him his knife with an impulsive gesture and guided by his emotions, he made the gestures […]. The wires touched. It exploded.

She recalled that immaturity, intoxication and cognitive distortions are at the root of the events.

An exceptional sentence requested

The defense attorney recalled that imposing an adult sentence on a young person remains the exception, not the rule.

” Teenagers benefit from a lesser presumption of guilt than adults. They are more vulnerable, less mature and less able to exercise moral judgment. »

Me Dingman raised that the Court must ask itself the question whether the accused’s discernment allowed him to fully appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions. According to her, he had no intention of hurting Thomas.

Also, according to the defense, the seriousness of the crime committed must not blind the court.

For her part, the criminal and penal prosecuting attorney is concerned about the social maladjustment of the murderer and the risk of recidivism.

” It has a minimalist functioning as a rehabilitation center linked to privileges. He invested very little. We are far from rehabilitation. There’s still much to do. The specific sentence is not sufficient because it is limited in time. Only an adult sentence is required. »

Impacts on the family

The prosecution also recalled that the crime had made other collateral victims: the grandfather, the uncle, the grandmother and the mother of Thomas Cameron. She mentioned that she will always have after-effects, that her son did not die a beautiful painless death. He died by the hand of a human.

The impact for Thomas’s family has been very great: you have to take this into account. With the pain they feel, it must not blind, divert the court from the objectives of the law. Thomas’ passing would have been no less important if he hadn’t had a family to mourn him pointed out the defense attorney.

Sentencing submissions will end on Tuesday at the Sherbrooke courthouse.