Woman sentenced to 4.5 years in jail for Chelmsford stabbing

Jesse Brave has received a 4.5-year sentence for a 2024 stabbing in the Greater Sudbury community of Chelmsford that left the victim with devastating injuries.

A legal battle years in the making ended at the Sudbury courthouse on Thursday morning.

After more than two years in custody, Jessie Brave was sentenced for a brutal stabbing attack related a dispute between neighbours.

Brave, 34, was sentenced to the equivalent of 4.5 years in prison in relation to a stabbing in Chelmsford on Nov. 22, 2024, that left the victim with devastating injuries.

The violence broke out at a multi-residential building following a heated argument over dogs. Brave repeatedly stabbed Josee Rouleau, her 31-year-old neighbour, with a knife, an attack that left the victim with permanent disabilities, including limited mobility in her left arm.

Pleaded guilty to aggravated assault

She was initially charged with attempted murder but pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

In court Thursday, the two sides were divided. The Crown sought six years, while the defence asked for three.

In delivering the four-and-a-half-year sentence, the judge cited Brave’s lack of a criminal record, the fact she has expressed remorse and her mental health, specifically, a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

Brave was also granted what’s known as a Duncan credit of 120 days. Duncan credits give inmates extra credit for time served due to harsh conditions during her pre-sentence custody.

Because Brave has already spent just more than two years behind bars, she has 894 days left to serve -- just shy of two-and-a-half years.