THUNDER BAY – Two men will serve more jail time, one for three years and the other for a single day, for their involvement in a Canada Day beating that left a 52-year-old father of two dead outside of city hall.
Kyle Stoney and Carl Rae received their sentences Monday morning at the Thunder Bay Courthouse for their roles in the death of Christopher Adams, who was found seriously injured in the early morning hours of July 1, 2014.
Stoney pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year and received a five-year sentence with credit for nearly two years served in pre-sentence custody.
Rae had pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and was sentenced to 30 months, though once factoring in pre-sentence custody he is to serve only one additional day.
The agreed statement of facts was read into the court, which detailed the circumstances of the case.
Adams, who was in Thunder Bay from the Toronto area seeking treatment for addictions, was seen staggering and approached a woman who was originally arrested in connection with the case before charges were dropped.
Three men then approached and began assaulting Adams.
A witness who was in a vehicle flashed his headlights at the assailants, who fled.
One of the men, who the witness identified as Stoney, returned and began kicking Adams in the head.
Adams was found on the ground with his left eye swollen shut, bleeding from the mouth and unresponsive. He was taken to hospital and put on life support before he died on July 8, 2014.
The autopsy determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
Rae was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the assault while Stoney was arrested in November 2014.
Crown attorney David MacKenzie said the third man remains unidentified and is still at large.
The victim’s sister, Leasa Adams, read an emotional and tearful impact statement into court before the sentence was handed down.
She told the court about how her brother was a devoted father to his two sons and coached their sports teams.
“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was tell them about what happened to her father,” she said, adding his death has led to his two sons isolating themselves and she has fallen out of contact with them.
She described the assault as an “unprovoked, vicious beating” and said her brother did not deserve to die in such an “inhumane” manner.
The sentences were a result of a joint submission made by the Crown and defence lawyers for Stoney and Rae.
When accepting the sentence, Justice John Fregeau told Stoney and Rae no sentence can alleviate the pain, grief and loss they caused and that it can’t be undone.
He also read from the victim impact statement prepared by Adams’ aunt.
“My hope is you spend your time away confined to become better men,” he read. “I ask that you take the path that rights the harm that you have done.”
Stoney has more than three years remaining on his sentence.
Rae, who was charged with assault and hostage taking in the December 2015 riot at the Thunder Bay District Jail, will remain in custody on those charges.
Both men are subject to a lifetime weapons ban and must submit a DNA sample.
