Roman Bourque gets 5 years for killing Emerson Curran
A Yellowknife man has been sentenced to five years in the beating death of an Ottawa man just over two years ago.
Roman Bourque pleaded guilty to manslaughter in April, admitting that he got in an argument with Emerson Curran at a birthday party in August 2013. Bourque punched Curran repeatedly, causing him to fall and hit his head on the edge of a piano. Bourque continued to beat Curran while he was down.
Yellowknife house party death ‘nearer murder than accident,’ says prosecutor
Originally from Ottawa, 20-year-old Curran was working a summer job at Yellowknife’s Air Tindi. He was sent to hospital in Edmonton, where he died as a result of a hemorrhage to the base of his brain.
“I don’t think my wife and I think Roman is some sort of monster,” Curran’s father, Michael, said Thursday.
“But at the same time I think he was brutal. I think he was reckless, and committed a very unnecessary act of extreme violence.”
When handing down her sentence on Thursday, Justice Karan Shaner called Emerson Curran’s death an “utter tragedy.”
Shaner said Bourque committed an “impulsive, stupid, violent act,” and that he must face serious consequences.
The defense had requested a five year sentence; the crown asked for five to five and a half years.
Shaner said the fact that Bourque pleaded guilty factored strongly in her sentence.
“It’s hard for me to say if that is a proper sentence,” Curran said. “It’s not enough for us, but we don’t have control over that.”
Curran and several members of his family flew to Yellowknife to attend the sentencing hearing and read their victim impact statements.
“Obviously seeing him taken into custody gives us a little bit of satisfaction,” Curran said. “We have some satisfaction that he is starting to understand the magnitude of what he did.”
The judge will request to have Bourque serve his time in the N.W.T., so he can be closer to his family.
Bourque will also face a 10-year firearm prohibition and is ordered not to communicate with Curran’s family.
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.