A Fort Good Hope man, convicted of first degree murder in the 2014 death of Charlotte Lafferty, has been ordered to serve his sentence in a federal institution.
Keenan McNeely, 21, was sentenced last spring to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years. Persons convicted of first-degree murder typically receive an automatic sentence of 25 years to life. McNeely received a lighter punishment because he was only 17 at the time.
Supreme Court judge Louise Charbonneau handed down her decision in Yellowknife on Tuesday morning in what was the first-ever placement hearing in the NWT. The hearing was only necessary because McNeely, convicted as an adult, was a minor when he murdered Lafferty in Fort Good Hope.
His lawyer Charles Davison had argued McNeely was a good candidate to serve his sentence at a territorial institution in the North. He also pointed out that the Edmonton Institution, where McNeely is likely to be initially sent, is rife with gangs and violence. He said the maximum security prison could be detrimental to McNeely's rehabilitation.
However, Charbonneau agreed with Crown prosecutor Annie Piche who said the North Slave Correctional Complex (NSCC) is designed to hold prisoners serving maximum two-year-sentences and it was not in the interest of public safety to hold McNeely there.
Charbonneau said McNeely needs extensive psychiatric intervention due to the brutal nature of the murder and the federal system is better geared to providing that than the territorial system.
Lafferty's mother, Louisa Lafferty, was in court for the decision. She had before said she did not care where McNeely served his sentence, as long as it was not in the North. Outside court following the decision, an emotional Lafferty said she was thinking about her daughter.
“I feel relieved that he won't be in the North. It's been a long ordeal. There has been lots of heartache. Right now, I just want to thrive on this happy feeling that he is not going to be here,” Lafferty said. “It's not going to bring my daughter back. I really hope this the last time I ever see him.”
Charlotte Lafferty, was the mother of three children, including twin boys – now five-years old. She was 23 at the time of her death.
Piche said it is her understanding that McNeely will get sent south in the next few days.
McNeely did not speak during the hearing and showed little emotion following the decision. He is appealing both his conviction and his sentence. It is not clear whether a court date has been set to hear the appeal.
