The man who stabbed Abbotsford student Letisha Reimer to death in 2016 and seriously injured her friend is scheduled to receive his sentence Wednesday morning (July 7).
Gabriel Klein will appear in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, starting at 10 a.m., when Justice Heather Holmes will render her decision.
Klein was convicted in March 2020 of the second-degree murder of Reimer, 13, and the aggravated assault of her 14-year-old friend at Abbotsford Senior Secondary on Nov. 1, 2016.
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Second-degree murder comes with an automatic life sentence, but the judge will rule on parole eligibility, which can range from 10 to 25 years.
At Klein’s sentencing hearing on June 23 and 25, the Crown recommended that parole eligibility be set at 18 years, while Klein’s lawyer recommended 12 years.
Crown has also recommended that Klein be sentenced to seven years, to be served concurrent with the life sentence, for the aggravated assault.
Victim impact statements from the families of the two girls were presented during the sentencing hearing.
At that time, Letisha’s mom, Ellie, told Klein: “I hope that you never have another moment of peace again in your life.”
Klein’s sentencing hearing was originally scheduled to take place in September 2020, but instead he was granted a “not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder” (NCRMD) hearing.
The NCRMD defence was not presented during his trial.
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His lawyer argued that Klein, who has schizophrenia, should not be held criminally responsible for the crimes because he did not have the capacity to appreciate the consequences of his actions or understand that they were wrong.
Klein testified that he stabbed the two girls because he thought one was a zombie and the other was a witch.
But Justice Heather Holmes ruled in April of this year that Klein should be held criminally responsible, and his prior conviction was to stand.
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Gabriel Klein was convicted of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Letisha Reimer at Abbotsford Senior Secondary on Nov. 1, 2016. (Sketch by Felicity Don)
