Profanities erupted in a Halifax courtroom Thursday as the family of a murder victim hurled insults at the convicted killer and voiced anger at the sentence he received.
The man in question, Justin Ronald Adams-Clarke, smirked and extended both middle fingers at the family as he was led away by sheriff’s deputies.
A jury convicted Adams-Clarke, 26, of second-degree murder in the death of Tyler Michael Boyd Algee following a trial last December — a conviction that carries an automatic life sentence.
On Thursday, Justice John Bodurtha of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled Adams-Clarke must serve 12 years in prison before he can apply for parole, though the judge stressed there’s no guarantee parole will ever be granted.
The defence had requested the minimum of 10 years, while the Crown had asked for 15 years.
Fatal shooting
Adams-Clarke killed Algee with a single shotgun blast on May 12, 2021, at Dartmouth’s Alderney Landing, just steps away from a playground. Algee was 22 at the time of his death.
The two men had squared off in the same area in a consensual fight the day before. Algee had mixed martial arts training and easily got the upper hand, as security video shown during the trial revealed.
Adams-Clarke returned the next day with a sawed-off shotgun. He had been under release conditions from previous offences that included that he stay out of Dartmouth and not possess any guns.
In making his decision on parole eligibility, Bodurtha consulted an Impact of Race and Culture Assessment (IRCA) and a pre-sentence report. IRCAs help judges understand the effect poverty, marginalization, racism and social exclusion may have had on an offender.
The judge noted Adams-Clarke’s lengthy criminal history, including previous convictions for violent crimes. He also referenced the man’s rough upbringing where he was exposed to violence, substance abuse and housing instability.
In addition to the prison term, Adams-Clarke is facing another weapons ban and his DNA goes in a national databank.
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