Man gets five years in stabbing death

Man gets five years in stabbing death By TONY BLAIS, COURT BUREAU fctAdTag("bigbox",MyGenericTagVar,1); A man convicted of manslaughter in the stabbing death of a city man smiled and winked at friends and family after being handed a five-year prison sentence today. Jeremy Aucoin, 21, must only serve two more years after getting a credit of three years for the 18 months he already spent in pretrial custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre. A jury earlier convicted Aucoin in the Oct. 2, 2004, slaying of Lloyd Dickson, 30, at a Mill Woods townhouse complex. Court of Queen's Bench Justice Terry Clackson said there was insufficient evidence to prove Aucoin had a knife and ruled the only scenario consistent with the jury's finding was Aucoin had assisted the person wielding the knife. "He was a party to the stabbing death of Mr. Dickson," said Clackson. The judge also gave a $1,500 fine to Dorian Taylor, 22, for punching and kicking Dickson during the attack. The jury had earlier acquitted Taylor of manslaughter, but found him guilty of assault. Court has heard Dickson was stabbed five times, including a fatal blow to the heart. He was also punched, kicked and hit with a closet rod by anywhere from two to four men. The jury heard the 2004 slaying happened at the Knottwood Terrace townhouse complex at 21 Avenue and Millwoods Road as groups of young people were socializing at two of the condos near where Dickson lived. When Dickson returned home from a stop at a liquor store with his roommate Jason Minkowitz and two 17-year-old girls, Minkowitz stopped in next door where an argument had broken out. He was hit on the head with a beer bottle and went home bleeding. Dickson then ran out of the house and chased Taylor and Aucoin inside another nearby condo. He never made it out alive. The jury heard paramedics found Dickson in the front entrance bleeding from wounds, lying face up with his head and shoulders in a pool of blood inside a closet. On Friday, Dickson was described by family as a big teddy bear who was always willing to help friends. He was also portrayed as a good Christian who wrote poetry. His mother told court she forgives her son's attackers and said: "I pray God has mercy on them."

Sentencing arguments heard in Mill Woods stabbing

Sentencing arguments heard in Mill Woods stabbing Karen Kleiss edmontonjournal.com Friday, March 07, 2008 EDMONTON - A young man convicted of manslaughter should be sentenced to at least six years behind bars, a prosecutor argued today. Crown prosecutor Tania Sarkar asked a judge to sentence 21-year-old Jeremy Aucoin to between six and eight years in prison for his role in the stabbing death of Lloyd Dickson, 30, on Oct. 2, 2004. Sarkar told Court of Queen's Bench Justice Terrance Clackson that the fatal attack was a "bloodbath," and that Aucoin showed absolutely no remorse. Defence lawyer Michele Reeves said her client should be sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison and should get more than two-for-one credit for the 18 months he has spent in the Remand Centre because he has been in the gang unit. "He has already done three (years)," Reeves said. "He has done his time." Last week, a jury convicted Aucoin of manslaughter, while his co-accused, 21-year-old Dorian Taylor, was convicted of assault. The Crown has asked Clackson to sentence Taylor to between 8 and 12 months in jail, while his lawyer says he should pay a $1,000 fine for the assault. On Oct. 2, 2004, Lloyd Dickson burst into a Mill Woods townhouse seeking revenge for a friend who had been hit over the head with a beer bottle. He was attacked by a group of men, including Taylor and Aucoin. He was punched, kicked and hit with a closet bar, court heard. He suffered five stab wounds, one through the heart. In victim impact statements read in court today, Dickson's family remembered a strong leader who once quit a job only to have his entire crew quit with him and follow him to his new place of employment. "He believed he could defuse any situation with words and the strength of his Christian faith," Dickson's grandmother, Jean Madison, told the court before reading a poem written her grandson. His mother, Pat Greenly, said in a victim impact statement that her heart aches for her son but that she forgives the offenders. "I pray that God have mercy on them," she said. The two men are expected to be sentenced March 10. kkleiss@thejournal.canwest.com © Edmonton Journal 2008