William Ross sat hunched in the prisoner's box, crying with his head down, throughout a hearing Thursday where he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for a violent, horrific attack on a man he claimed was a friend.
Elmer Tangie, 53, died in January 2022 after Ross became enraged that he had left a Second Line West apartment to go on a coffee run.
The 45-year-old punched Tangie several times, knocking him to the floor, and then attacked him with an edged weapon, cutting his face and stabbing him in the shoulder.
The attack took place during a night of drinking and drug use.
Ross and co-accused Glen Pelchat pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month, admitting they had contributed to the victim's death.
With the credit he received for his pre-sentence custody, he faces a further 10 years and 154 days behind bars
Pelchat, 39, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in a federal penitentiary.
He was in the bathroom during the attack. When he came out, a helpless and bleeding Tangie was on the floor, making audible gurgling noises.
Ross told Pelchat to "shut him up" and he "delivered one kick" to Tangie's head.
Police found Tangie's bound and gagged body wrapped in bedclothes in the apartment on Jan. 29, 2022.
With his pre-sentence custody credit, Pelchat must serve a further three years and 245 days in prison.
Pelchat played a lesser role in the offence, Ontario Court Justice Romuald Kwolek noted. But he also had the last opportunity to assist Tangie after Ross took a shower and departed the scene.
Instead, he cleaned up the floor and walls around Tangie, then left.
Kwolek said what occurred that night was "horrific" and caused significant injuries that contributed to the victim's death.
"A life was lost. Elmer Tangie's life was lost," he said. "This wrongful death has had a significant impact on the family."
During Thursday's hearing, the court heard from Tangie's family and friends, who detailed the pain, anguish and trauma they have suffered from the loss of a beloved family member.
More than a dozen people — wearing t-shirts emblazoned with a photo of the victim and "Justice for Elmer Tangie” — were in the courtroom.
Family members described him as a hard-working man with a steady job, a good father and grandfather, a caring son and brother who was part of an extended family.
The brutal nature of the crime has caused anxiety and overwhelming stress on the entire family, and "the brutality should be reflected in the sentencing," one family member told the judge.
Prosecutor Robert Skeggs read a statement from the victim's mother, Gladys Tangie.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't cry," she wrote, calling her son a good person who loved his family.
Gladys said she still has his messages on her phone.
"I love you so much and I can't go to court to hear what they did to you ... they don't deserve to be free walking the streets."
Christine Venedam told the court this family has lost many members "but this loss was no accident."
Her nephew was someone with a kind heart, who gave a ride to some people and "was killed over a cup of coffee."
This has brought so much heartache to the family, she said, telling his assailants, who she described as cowards, that "some day you will have to answer to a higher power, the creator and ask for forgiveness."
In her victim impact statement, which another family member read to the court, Lorraine Tangie told the two men: "When you guys took my brother you also took a part of me.
"He was truly my best friend."
The sentence imposed by Kwolek was jointly recommended by the Crown and defence lawyers.
Assistant Crown attorney Karen Pritchard said this "violent and terrible act" calls out for deterrence for people like Ross and Pelchat whose senseless violence poses a danger to the community.
A significant penitentiary sentence is needed, she told the court.
Tangie's immediate family and everyone who loved him have been profoundly affected by the men's actions, which have left them with a permanent void in their life, Pritchard said.
The community also has been victimized and "must know they will be protected" from people who use violence against others.
Ross has a significant record with convictions for violence in 1998, 2009, 2017 and 2021, and has also served significant penitentiary time, the prosecutor said.
He was convicted of attempted murder in August 1998 for the part he played in an attack where four accused entered a residence and seriously injured a person.
Ross struck the victim several times with a hatchet.
Pelchat also has a lengthy criminal record, with convictions for violence in 2003 and 2010.
The most significant sentence he's served was 21 months in jail in 2003.
His lawyer Jessica Belisle told the court he is "significantly remorseful for his actions" and has accepted responsibility for what he did.
Pelchat has struggled with addiction for his whole life and immediately sought out sobriety in January 2022, she said.
Following his arrest a year later, he continued on this path while in custody, and has completed every available program at the jail.
"As of today (Thursday) he has two years, two months of sobriety."
Eric McCooeye, who represented Ross, described the 13-year sentence as "very significant."
Right from the beginning, his client's intention was to plead guilty, he said.
"It was always foremost in his mind. He is very remorseful, very cognizant of the effect this has had on the family."
The defence told the court Ross, who was regularly using illegal drugs at the time, also has been participating in counselling while in custody.
Both Ross and Pelchat apologized to Tangie's family.
"Every day I try to understand how this happened ....we were friends and I never had an intention to hurt him," Ross told them.
"I know you'll never forgive me. I'm truly sorry."
Pelchat said he's taking ownership of what he had done and "I'm sorry."
When he imposed the sentences, Kwolek noted the victim isn't just Tangie.
"It's his family, friends and the community," the judge said. "An event like this not only damages the family but the whole community."
Ross also received a two-year concurrent sentence for unrelated drug and weapons offences that occurred on June 22, 2022.