Man sentenced to 4 years for fatal beating of homeless man in Campbell River, B.C.
A 32-year-old man from Campbell River, B.C., has been sentenced to four years in prison for the beating death of a 59-year-old homeless man in October 2020.
Justin William Arnet was sentenced on March 7 for his role in an assault that left Dean Dool dying on the sidewalk outside a Campbell River bank.
Arnet has been in custody since January 2021, five days after he was arrested for robbing a woman who was sleeping outside the Campbell River library.
He was credited with three years and seven weeks for time he has already served, reducing his remaining sentence to 10 months and one week for the manslaughter charge.
B.C. provincial court judge Reginald Harris sentenced Arnet to an additional six months for the robbery, to be served after his incarceration for Dool's death.
An autopsy revealed Dool died in hosptial from head trauma a few days after the assault. He also sustained internal bruising, abrasions and a broken hyoid bone in his neck.
ARGUMENT CAUGHT ON CAMERA
The judge's decision says Dool was drinking a beer inside the foyer of a downtown bank on Oct. 15, 2020.
He finished his beer and stepped out into the autumn air around 10:30 p.m. Arnet was also out that night with two others when they encountered Dool and believed he made a racist comment about Indigenous people directed at them.
The ensuing argument was captured on security camera video.
Arnet pushed Dool and the pair exchanged words for approximately 35 seconds. Dool then pulled a knife and waved it at Arnet who pushed the blade away several times, according to the court.
Twenty-five seconds later, Arnet threw a punch at Dool, striking him in the face and knocking him off the sidewalk and onto the street. While Dool was on the ground, Arnet punched and kicked him in the head, briefly stepping away and returning three times to deliver more blows.
Arnet and one of his friends picked up Dool, who was motionless by this point, and moved him up onto the sidewalk and against the wall of a building. While Dool was slumped against the wall, Arnet continued to beat him before he finally left the area and went to a "nearby gathering place, where staff noted signs suggesting that he was intoxicated," the judge wrote.
Dool laid on the sidewalk for a time before getting to his feet and falling again, striking his head on the ground. Paramedics transported the man to the hospital where he later died.
'OVERWHELMING GUILT'
Arnet was arrested three months later after he and another man assaulted and stole a cellphone and backpack from a woman who was sleeping outside Campbell River's downtown library.
During a police interrogation, Arnet became emotional when was shown video of his earlier altercation with Dool.
"He expressed how sorry he was and stated he was sorry to Mr. Dool and his family," the judge wrote. "He also expressed he felt overwhelming guilt."
Family and friends of Dool provided victim impact statements to the court, describing grief, sadness and a void in the wake of their loved one's death.
Dool's sister said she was left broken-hearted by her brother's death and has difficulty sleeping. Dool's partner said she feels lingering guilt and struggles to pass by the area where her partner was assaulted.
The Crown prosecutor sought a prison sentence of seven to eight years for the manslaughter charge and 18 months for the robbery.
The defence lawyer argued a four-year sentence, minus time served, was appropriate for both charges, given Arnet's minimal criminal history, prospects for rehabilitation and experiences as an Indigenous man.
Following his release from custody, Arnet will serve two years of probation. He is prohibited from possessing firearms, crossbows, ammunition or explosives for 10 years after his release from custody.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.