The final decision on the sentence for the man found guilty of a double murder in Princeton may not come until the fall.
John Ike Koopmans was convicted of the second degree murders of Robert Keith Wharton and Rosemary Fox, as well as the attempted murder of Bradley Martin. A jury found Koopmans guilty in April after an eight week trial.
The matter has been before the court twice since Koopmans was found guilty for the shootings that took place on March 30, 2013 in Princeton, both instances delayed the sentencing.
“It’s going to be months, well into the fall before we can sentence. Unless the Gladue (report) gets waived,” Don Skogstad, Koopmans’ defence counsel, said.
On April 27 an adjournment of the sentencing was made to decide whether or not a Gladue report would be prepared, which requires the court to take into account circumstances facing Aboriginal people and consider these circumstances during sentencing.
On April 11, the day the jury’s verdict was read, Skogstad asked that a Gladue report be prepared due to Koopmans’ indigenous heritage on his mother’s side.
On Tuesday, the matter was adjourned again to July 13 due to a delay in the preparation of the pre-sentence report.
Koopmans faces a mandatory minimum of two life sentences and the recommendations from seven jurors is that he serve a 15-year minimum before being eligible for parole.
Justice Miriam Maisonville will take the jury’s recommendations into account when sentencing Koopmans.
