North Delta teen killer's sentencing delayed
Sentencing for the man who pleaded guilty last year to beating a North Delta girl to death in Mackie Park during a daytime attack in 2010 has been delayed.
The accused was 17 when he killed 15-year-old Laura Szendrei and therefore cannot be named under Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The case has now been adjourned until July 15 when lawyers are expected to argue whether or not the young man should be sentenced as an adult. He was just days away from his 18th birthday at the time of the murder.
The young man was originally charged with first-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree in October.
Delta Police said the Szendrei family endorsed the plea deal knowing that prosecutors would be seeking an adult sentence. If sentenced as an adult, he can be named publicly.
The adult sentence for such a crime is life, with parole eligibility to be determined by a judge. A youth sentence for second-degree murder is a maximum of seven years, only four of which can be served in custody.
COMMENTS
Let's keep comments:
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters.
We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.