WARNING: This story contains distressing details and descriptions of violence and references suicidal ideation.
A Hamilton man who violently beat and strangled his mother in his apartment hallway last year has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Daryl Buckle, 35, was sentenced in Ontario Superior Court to life in prison with no opportunity for parole for 14 years on June 26, 2024 — exactly one year after he killed his 62-year-old mother, Jacquelyne (Jackie) Buckle, including using a glass bong and a baseball bat.
The unprovoked attack lasted over 10 minutes, Justice Harrison Arrell told the Hamilton courtroom.
“It is difficult for this court to imagine the pain and sheer terror Jackie must have gone through while her son mercilessly beat her to death,” Arrell said.
Over 20 of Jackie’s friends and family submitted victim impact statements to the court describing her infectious laugh, warm smile and endless kindness.
Her longtime partner, John Laurienzo, an officer with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, said she was a “mama bear” for her children and was “always there to help them … day or night.”
She’d experienced tragedies. She’d lost her newborn daughter at birth, and her son Jason, 27, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm in 2021, “devastating her world,” said Laurienzo.
But she remained a steadying force and source of unwavering support to her friends and family, including two stepdaughters, and founded Compassionate Friends of the Hamilton Area — a grief support group for parents who’d lost a child.
Jackie paid all of Daryl’s bills, including his rent, bought him groceries and clothes, drove him to appointments and cleaned his apartment as he struggled with an addiction to methamphetamine, Laurienzo said.
“He was her only son left.”
But Daryl was verbally and emotionally abusive to Jackie, and Laurienzo said she’d told him she was fearful for her life. Leading up to her murder, they’d discussed safety plans and Jackie set boundaries with Daryl, which angered him.
“Daryl became upset because he felt he was losing his control over her,” Laurienzo said.
When Daryl was asked by the judge what he’d like to say, he responded, “Nothing.”
Neighbours heard Jackie’s screams
In the hours leading up to killing his mother, Daryl was in custody.
Jackie hadn’t bailed him out, as she’d done in the past, and he’d spent days in jail before pleading guilty to assaulting two Hamilton police officers by spitting on them, said assistant Crown attorney Brian Adsett, reading from a set of facts Buckle agreed were accurate.
On June 26, 2023, he was released on probation and met Jackie at his apartment on Herkimer Street just before 5 p.m., Adsett said. Daryl expressed to Jackie he was angry she hadn’t bailed him out. He also asked for money, which Jackie refused to give him because of his meth addiction.
Jackie instead went to the store to buy him deodorant, said Adsett.
When she returned, Buckle attacked her in the hallway, Adsett said. He repeatedly hit her in the head and strangled her for several minutes. With his hands and arms covered in blood, he then got a baseball bat and struck her multiple times.
During the attack, many neighbours heard Jackie’s screams, which sounded “deep and raspy as if she was struggling for air,” Adsett said. They called 911 and police responded, following a trail of blood to Daryl’s unit.
There, Daryl raised his hands and surrendered, said Adsett. Jackie was pronounced dead from blunt head injuries and her son was charged with first-degree murder, which was later changed to second-degree murder.
Second-degree murder means that while he meant to kill Jackie in the moment, he didn’t plan to beforehand.
During his police interrogation, Daryl confessed to killing Jackie but was also observed having a conversation with a “hallucinated entity” he told investigators was named Adam, Adsett said.
A forensic psychiatrist later determined he was most likely faking the hallucinations to appear not criminally responsible for Jackie’s murder, said Adsett. Daryl also didn’t have meth in his system at the time of the murder and doesn’t suffer from any psychotic disorders.
The psychiatrist instead reported he had anxiety and a personality disorder with borderline features and had struggled with substance abuse for years, but was responsible for his actions, said Adsett.
“Mr. Buckle’s actions were not motivated by internal factors outside of his control or because of a severe disease of his mind,” said Ardett. “On a balance of probabilities, he was likely motivated by his interpersonal dysfunction and anger towards the victim who did not yield to his expectations.”
Buckle hospitalized 16 times
The minimum sentence for second-degree murder is life imprisonment without parole for 10 years, but the no-parole period can be extended if it’s determined it’s warranted.
The Crown requested that Daryl not be allowed to apply for parole for 16 years.
The man’s lawyer, Peter Boushy, argued he should be allowed parole after 12 to 14 years.
Boushy noted that Daryl had been hospitalized 16 times in recent years for mental health reasons including suicidal ideation and meth-induced psychosis.
Many of those times, he admitted himself, indicating he knew he needed help, said Boushy. When he was released, however, he didn’t attend any of the recommended outpatient treatments.
“This is a gentleman clearly who slipped through the cracks,” Boushy said. “Clearly the mental health system, whether because it’s overburdened or what not, didn’t help him.”
Arrell sentenced Buckle to no chance of parole for 14 years, including time already served. That means Buckle won’t be allowed to apply for parole until 2036.
“The brutality and unprovoked nature of this merciless killing of a son against his mother for no plausible reason deserves serious denunciation by this court,” the judge said.
For anyone struggling with their mental health, help is available through:
This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you’re worried about.