R. v. Waite (A.D.), (2014) 584 A.R. 127

• Judge: O'Brien, Watson and McDonald, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (Alberta)
• Case Date: September 23, 2014
• Citations: (2014), 584 A.R. 127;2014 ABCA 315

R. v. Waite (A.D.) (2014), 584 A.R. 127; 623 W.A.C. 127 (CA)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2014] A.R. TBEd. OC.026

Her Majesty the Queen (respondent) v. Alvin Daniel Waite (appellant)

(0801-0092-A; 2014 ABCA 315)

Indexed As: R. v. Waite (A.D.)

Alberta Court of Appeal

O'Brien, Watson and McDonald, JJ.A.

October 2, 2014.

Summary:

A jury found Waite guilty of second degree murder.

The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, in a decision reported at (2008), 447 A.R. 376, imposed a life sentence and a period of parole ineligibility for 18 years. Waite appealed the conviction.

The Alberta Court of Appeal, Conrad, J.A., dissenting, in a decision reported at (2013), 556 A.R. 129; 584 W.A.C. 129, dismissed the appeal. Waite appealed.

The Supreme Court of Canada, in a decision reported at (2014), 454 N.R. 243; 569 A.R. 2; 606 W.A.C. 2, dismissed the appeal. Waite appealed from the parole ineligibility disposition.

The Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

Criminal Law - Topic 5670

Punishments (sentence) - Imprisonment and parole - Parole - Period of ineligibility (incl. jury recommendation) - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5881 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5881

Sentence - Murder (includes attempts) - David offered Waite and Guignard a place to sleep on a winter night as they had nowhere else to go - Waite and Guignard brutally killed David in his residence in furtherance of robbing him - A jury found Waite and Guignard guilty of second degree - The sentencing judge imposed life sentences - Having received a variety of parole ineligibility recommendations from the jury, she imposed a period of parole ineligibility for 18 years on both men - Waite appealed from that parole ineligibility disposition - The Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal - The sentencing judge stated that she had to consider the jury's recommendations, but she was not bound to accept them - That did not reflect error - Waite's counsel had not shown that apart from his family circumstances and some degree of possible remorse, there was anything else in mitigation - Nor had any reason been provided to dispute the sentencing judge's view that the aggravating and mitigating factors as between Waite and Guignard should not attract a discrepancy of outcome - The sentencing judge was also aware, as the jury was not, that Waite had 31 prior convictions, eight of which were for offences of violence - The court did not find any errors of fact, law or principle of sentencing in the sentencing judge's disposition of Waite's case - There was no reversible error in the quantum she chose.

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Ferguson (M.E.), [2008] 1 S.C.R. 96; 371 N.R. 231; 425 A.R. 79; 418 W.A.C. 79; 2008 SCC 6, refd to. [para. 6].

R. v. Nepoose (1988), 93 A.R. 32; 46 C.C.C.(3d) 421 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 7].

R. v. Roberts (E.W.) (2001), 289 A.R. 127; 2001 ABQB 520, affd. (2006), 384 A.R. 263; 367 W.A.C. 263; 2006 ABCA 113, refd to. [para. 7].

R. v. Thatcher, [1987] 1 S.C.R. 652; 75 N.R. 198; 57 Sask.R. 113; 32 C.C.C.(3d) 481, refd to. [para. 9].

R. v. Osei-Agyemang (R.) (2011), 493 A.R. 363; 502 W.A.C. 363; 2011 ABCA 2, refd to. [para. 9].

R. v. Shropshire (M.T.), [1995] 4 S.C.R. 227; 188 N.R. 284; 65 B.C.A.C. 37; 106 W.A.C. 37; 102 C.C.C.(3d) 193, dist. [para. 12].

R. v. Strongman (K.) et al. (2007), 425 A.R. 200; 418 W.A.C. 200; 2007 ABCA 413, refd to. [para. 17].

R. v. Frenette (P.M.) (1999), 237 A.R. 359; 197 W.A.C. 359 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 17].

R. v. Fattah (A.A.) (2009), 460 A.R. 262; 462 W.A.C. 262; 2009 ABCA 229, dist. [para. 17].

R. v. Van Osselaer (P.) (2004), 190 B.C.A.C. 313; 311 W.A.C. 313; 181 C.C.C.(3d) 322; 2004 BCCA 3, refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Spanevello (P.F.) (1998), 115 B.C.A.C. 14; 189 W.A.C. 14 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Grimsson (K.A.) (1997), 100 B.C.A.C. 253; 163 W.A.C. 253 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Campbell (L.E.) (1999), 129 B.C.A.C. 152; 210 W.A.C. 152 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Hawkins (H.J.) (2011), 298 N.S.R.(2d) 53; 945 A.P.R. 53; 2011 NSCA 7, refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Persaud (A.R.) (1999), 123 O.A.C. 392 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Lawes (D.) (2006), 207 O.A.C. 354; 206 C.C.C.(3d) 15; 37 C.R.(6th) 301 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Mitchell (R.W.) (2010), 268 O.A.C. 359; 2010 ONCA 692, refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Shand (J.E.) (2011), 273 O.A.C. 199; 266 C.C.C.(3d) 137; 2011 ONCA 5, leave to appeal refused (2012), 432 N.R. 391 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Jackson (D.) (2013), 311 O.A.C. 121; 301 C.C.C.(3d) 358; 2013 ONCA 632, affd. (2014), 457 N.R. 1; 320 O.A.C. 36; 10 C.R.(7th) 29 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Paskimin (D.T.G.) et al. (2012), 393 Sask.R. 30; 546 W.A.C. 30; 2012 SKCA 35, refd to. [para. 18].

R. v. Worm (J.) et al. (2014), 442 Sask.R.228; 2014 CarswellSask 576; 2014 SKCA 94, refd to. [para. 18].

Counsel:

J.A. Antonio and M. Dalidowicz, for the respondent;

C.J. Hooker, for the appellant.

This appeal was heard on September 23, 2014, before O'Brien, Watson and McDonald, JJ.A., of the Alberta Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal filed the following memorandum of judgment on October 2, 2014.