A 25-year-old Hamilton man who accidentally shot his girlfriend in the head while playing with a pistol at a house party has been sentenced to five years behind bars.
Devante Skye-Davis previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a firearm in the death of 17-year-old Myah Larmond.
Accounting for time already served, Skye-Davis will spend 23 months in jail and serve three years of probation.
That means the man who brought the loaded gun to the party — Cadence Beauparlant — is serving a longer sentence than the man who accidentally fired it.
In late February, Beauparlant was sentenced to seven years in prison. His lawyer said she’d appeal the sentence, which was issued by a different judge.
During a June sentencing hearing, Crown attorneys told Superior Court Justice Paul Sweeny that Skye-Davis should serve six years, while the defence asked for the mandatory minimum of four years.
Victim impact statements from Larmond’s family in June highlighted how her death has crushed them. Skye-Davis also spoke at the time, sobbing and apologizing for his actions, adding he truly loved Larmond.
“There’s been a devastating impact on the family and friends of Myah Larmond,” Sweeny said.
“There is no sentence that I can impose that will assist Myah’s mother, father and family to overcome their sense of loss and grief.”
Gun passed around at party
Court heard Skye-Davis hosted a house party on St. Matthews Avenue near downtown Hamilton on July 15, 2020.
He, Larmond and others were all drinking, doing drugs and socializing.
People passed around the gun Beauparlant brought and played with it. Videos presented in court showed Beauparlant and Skye-Davis holding the gun, and loading it with a magazine that had a single bullet in the chamber.
Later during the night, Skye-Davis held the gun, walked into the kitchen and pointed the Glock at Larmond — then he accidentally fired a bullet into her head around 4 a.m. ET on July 16.
Beauparlant left the house and took the gun with him.
Skye-Davis stayed with Larmond, trying to keep her alive.
Recording reveals chaotic scene
A chaotic scene full of screaming could be heard in a recording of the 911 call played during Skye-Davis’s sentencing hearing.
During the call, Skye-Davis said he didn’t know who shot Larmond and didn’t see what happened. In police interviews, he said he was worried if he spoke to officers, he would get in trouble.
He also denied any involvement during those interviews, but eventually pleaded guilty during the court proceedings.
During those interviews, Larmond was on an operating table, spending her final moments with surgeons trying to save her. She died five hours after Skye-Davis shot her.
Crown attorney Amy Mountjoy previously said Skye-Davis’s negligence, the pistol and the drug- and alcohol-fuelled party were a lethal combination.
“This was an entirely avoidable tragedy … that must be denounced,” she previously said.
Sweeny listed multiple aggravating factors that impacted his sentencing.
He noted earlier in the night — before the gun discharged — that Skye-Davis pointed the pistol at Larmond and was told to stop, but kept playing with it. He also initially lied to police.
Sweeny added Skye-Davis had a criminal record that includes violence and disobeying court orders. He also wasn’t allowed to have weapons at the time of the incident. Now, he faces a lifetime gun ban.
Sweeny said he also had to consider that Skye-Davis stayed with Larmond.
He’s also Indigenous, had a rough childhood where he was abused and was diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder and attention deficit disorder.
While serving time ahead of his sentencing, Skye-Davis was subject to harsh conditions in jail, including frequent lockdowns and overcrowding that led to three people in a cell.
Sweeny also noted Skye-Davis apologized.
“I accept that he is truly remorseful.”