One of the killers in the videotaped beating death of girl in Sagkeeng to be sentenced Thursday
A year after a Sagkeeng First Nation teen was fatally beaten – a video of which was posted on social media – one of her killers’ sentencing hearing has begun and a Winnipeg judge is likely to pass sentence on Thursday.
(Serena McKay, 19, of the Sagkeeng First Nation was beaten and left for dead in April 2017. A 16 and 17-year-old girl were each charged)
The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG – A teenager who helped beat a young Manitoba woman and shared the footage of her bloody death apologized to the victim’s family at a sentencing hearing Tuesday.
Serena McKay’s body was found on the Sagkeeng First Nation last April and two teenage girls, who were 16 and 17, were arrested.
The older girl, who has since turned 18 but can’t be named because she was underage when the beating occurred, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in December.
“There are no words to describe how sorry I am,” the girl told McKay’s family in a Winnipeg courtroom. “I am living every day with this guilt and shame … I want to do things in Serena’s honour.”
The Crown and defence are jointly recommending the girl receive the maximum youth sentence of seven years. The Crown wants the girl to spend four years behind bars and serve 1 1/2 years in the community.
Defence lawyer Greg Brodsky, who said his client has shown remorse, is asking for one year in jail with the rest of the sentence to be served in the community.
McKay had been at a house party in the Sagkeeng community when there was an argument about alcohol, court heard.
Two videos, which later circulated on social media, showed McKay being attacked.
McKay’s family members stood up and left before the videos were played in court. The woman being sentenced held her head in her hands and sobbed as the graphic footage showed McKay being punched and kicked while she begged for the beating to stop.
Crown prosecutor Jennifer Comack said the woman texted the videos to a friend first, along with a message boasting that she “stomped her” out. The videos were widely shared, Comack said.
McKay’s mother recalled the pain of seeing her daughter’s bloody, swollen face as it was circulated on social media.
“I dream about her,” Delores Daniels told court as she clutched an eagle feather and broke into tears. “I wake up crying and sad that she is not here and wonder what she would have become in life.
“This has been a nightmare to me … How can an only daughter be replaced?”
In a statement read in court, McKay’s father, Harvey McKay, said he was at work in northern Manitoba when he was horrified to discover people around him were watching videos of the beating.
“I will never get over what happened to my baby Serena,” his statement said.
Some 24 victim impact statements were submitted to the court from family and friends. There were more from people who didn’t know McKay, including two from people outside Canada.
Judge Rocky Pollack is to decide which can be included in the court record and how long the teen will be jailed. The sentencing hearing is scheduled to continue Thursday.
A year after a Sagkeeng First Nation teen was fatally beaten – a video of which was posted on social media – one of her killers’ sentencing hearing has begun.
Serena McKay, 19, was found dead on April 23, 2017, outside a residence in the community located 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
McKay, a grade 12 student who was set to graduate two months later had her life was cut short by two female schoolmates, aged 16 and 17 and the time. They attacked her outside a party, brutally beat her and left her to freeze to death.
The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to second-degree murder late last year. She is now 18 and has been in custody since the killing.
The girl, who cannot be named because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was seen on one of two videos shared online, delivering a series of vicious boot-stomps to the victim’s head after the younger teen already mercilessly beat McKay.
The two videos of the attack were played in court Tuesday while the shackled young woman in jail garb bent her head and sobbed, covering her eyes and ears.
The Crown is asking for a sentence of four years in addition to the year she’s been in custody, followed by 1.5 years living in a supervised community setting.
The maximum sentence for second-degree murder under the Youth Criminal Justice Act is seven years in custody.
More than 30 people submitted victim-impact statements detailing how McKay’s death has left them devastated, or how the video recording of the killing that made rounds on social media, affected them.
A judge will hand down a sentence on Thursday.
The 16-year-old involved in McKay’s death pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year.
A date has not been set for her sentencing.
I’ve had Ms mcKay in my prayers since this incident occurred. i think my prayers should be for the girls who committed this crime. More and more girls are committing such terrible acts of violence. Young girls comitting such acts have no morals and values,m. No one deserves to die like this. There should be changes to the Youth Criminal Justice System.. People who murder should get life. There lives should be taken too after all they took Ms. McKays life
Doubtful and Shock…
I’ve had Ms mcKay in my prayers since this incident occurred. i think my prayers should be for the girls who committed this crime. More and more girls are committing such terrible acts of violence. Young girls comitting such acts have no morals and values,m. No one deserves to die like this. There should be changes to the Youth Criminal Justice System.. People who murder should get life. There lives should be taken too after all they took Ms. McKays life
Doubtful and Shock…
This is SICK SH**! those girls need to be in prison for more then the time given! Where is the Justice? Those girl need to go to jail for like 20 or even 30 years to sit there every day and night thinking of what they did! They need to suffer, who knows maybe in jail they will have to beg for there life’s! They knew what they were doing cuz they were saying it they were beating her to DEATH!!!!! They knew what they did because they even sent the video to friends and then live streamed it on face book! Can’t tell me they were drunk because they were able to upload it on face book and do a live stream!!!! Then talk about it the next day! what sick little girls! They can’t be let out back into our world to grow up with kids on the outside! They will do this again! They were trying to be cool and beat up someone. Now they need to suffer in others way ROT IN JAIL!
This is SICK SH**! those girls need to be in prison for more then the time given! Where is the Justice? Those girl need to go to jail for like 20 or even 30 years to sit there every day and night thinking of what they did! They need to suffer, who knows maybe in jail they will have to beg for there life’s! They knew what they were doing cuz they were saying it they were beating her to DEATH!!!!! They knew what they did because they even sent the video to friends and then live streamed it on face book! Can’t tell me they were drunk because they were able to upload it on face book and do a live stream!!!! Then talk about it the next day! what sick little girls! They can’t be let out back into our world to grow up with kids on the outside! They will do this again! They were trying to be cool and beat up someone. Now they need to suffer in others way ROT IN JAIL!
I’m Ojibway First Nations, a mother, an aunt, a sister, and a grandmother. These are things that Serena will never experience because her life was taken from her. My heart goes out to her family and I know it’s just words, but i can’t imagine the pain you are feeling from such a loss. I hope with time, the pain in your hearts will subside and you will eventually find peace.
I did see some of the video circulating on social media, I heard her beg for her life, I heard the sounds of them stomping on her, and I heard the voices of those girls telling them they wanted to kill her. I had to turn it off, I cringed, I had shivers, and I shed tears for her.
This sentence does not nearly justify the crime! Weather they were 16 or 26, they need to be punished severely! They are vicious and evil girls, with no consideration or compassion for life, they have no heart. This was a senseless and deliberate act of evil. They need to be sentenced to “15 to life” in prison, no matter what their age is. They knew exactly what they were doing, killing her, taking her from her family forever. They continued to repeat it over and over again that they wanted her dead. I’m just baffled with this incident, how could two humans do this to another? how could someone consciously video this act? how could people just stand by and let this happen? we’re not savages! I feel each and everyone that were bystanders should be charged as accessories of the crime, they all need to learn that this is not acceptable in society. These girls need serious, long term, psychiatric treatment.
To Serena’s family and friends, I will smudge for you to send you strength, courage and positive energy for your long journey without your beautiful babygirl. I’m hoping our Great Creator is watching over you and walking beside you.
I’m Ojibway First Nations, a mother, an aunt, a sister, and a grandmother. These are things that Serena will never experience because her life was taken from her. My heart goes out to her family and I know it’s just words, but i can’t imagine the pain you are feeling from such a loss. I hope with time, the pain in your hearts will subside and you will eventually find peace.
I did see some of the video circulating on social media, I heard her beg for her life, I heard the sounds of them stomping on her, and I heard the voices of those girls telling them they wanted to kill her. I had to turn it off, I cringed, I had shivers, and I shed tears for her.
This sentence does not nearly justify the crime! Weather they were 16 or 26, they need to be punished severely! They are vicious and evil girls, with no consideration or compassion for life, they have no heart. This was a senseless and deliberate act of evil. They need to be sentenced to “15 to life” in prison, no matter what their age is. They knew exactly what they were doing, killing her, taking her from her family forever. They continued to repeat it over and over again that they wanted her dead. I’m just baffled with this incident, how could two humans do this to another? how could someone consciously video this act? how could people just stand by and let this happen? we’re not savages! I feel each and everyone that were bystanders should be charged as accessories of the crime, they all need to learn that this is not acceptable in society. These girls need serious, long term, psychiatric treatment.
To Serena’s family and friends, I will smudge for you to send you strength, courage and positive energy for your long journey without your beautiful babygirl. I’m hoping our Great Creator is watching over you and walking beside you.
This is vile stuff; the behaviour described is beyond the pale. The sentence cannot fit the crime here, but I do think four years isn’t nearly sufficient. How about a minimum of 19 years? Feels like a bitter joke and I feel for her poor family, what they have to live with.
everyone who left her out there should have been charged!! what happened to the boys that were recording it? little ********
This is vile stuff; the behaviour described is beyond the pale. The sentence cannot fit the crime here, but I do think four years isn’t nearly sufficient. How about a minimum of 19 years? Feels like a bitter joke and I feel for her poor family, what they have to live with.
everyone who left her out there should have been charged!! what happened to the boys that were recording it? little ********
Our Provinces need to get together and do better Justice on these “Little Killers” like said, they’ll just repeat. There’s no fairness for Family only hurt, more retaliation, anger all kinds of wrong Emotions. Broken hearts all across Canada because of our broken system. SOMEBODY MUST FIX IT!!
Our Provinces need to get together and do better Justice on these “Little Killers” like said, they’ll just repeat. There’s no fairness for Family only hurt, more retaliation, anger all kinds of wrong Emotions. Broken hearts all across Canada because of our broken system. SOMEBODY MUST FIX IT!!
The sentencing time is pathetic….selling drugs gets you more time than murder.
No doubt! Ridiculous! The system is fabricated!
Four years for stomping on someone’s head and leaving them to freeze to death. Four years for taking a young woman’s life and ruining her chances of having having a family of her own one day…children…grandchildren.. what a travesty of juctice for this family.
The persons involved in a crime such as this will repeat. It is probable they will always be high risk offenders. Seen this happen too many times. Severe psychosis? Who knows
The sentencing time is pathetic….selling drugs gets you more time than murder.
No doubt! Ridiculous! The system is fabricated!
If that was my daughter and i am white which makes no diffetence as a. father i would not rest what a beautiful girl any parent would be so proud and to be taken by violent unrepentent killers i coyld not live with the impact and because minors such short sentences dear god there is no justice life makes me crying for all parents of murdured children and you can ask why well it is because our dirty society internet etc our children are becoming evil because of outside influences we all are not perfect but we love our kids
Four years for stomping on someone’s head and leaving them to freeze to death. Four years for taking a young woman’s life and ruining her chances of having having a family of her own one day…children…grandchildren.. what a travesty of juctice for this family.
The persons involved in a crime such as this will repeat. It is probable they will always be high risk offenders. Seen this happen too many times. Severe psychosis? Who knows
If that was my daughter and i am white which makes no diffetence as a. father i would not rest what a beautiful girl any parent would be so proud and to be taken by violent unrepentent killers i coyld not live with the impact and because minors such short sentences dear god there is no justice life makes me crying for all parents of murdured children and you can ask why well it is because our dirty society internet etc our children are becoming evil because of outside influences we all are not perfect but we love our kids