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CO in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A pr i! 26 ,2 01 8 | 'I am broken and will never be the way I was,' says victim's relative NEWS • Continued from page 5 dan Neil and Crown attorney Lau­ rie Jago; and a statement of re­ morse from Porte himself. It was not immediately clear how much pre-trial confinement Porte w ill get credit for. Police were called to Wilson's home at 1343 Sheldon Ave. on the evening o f Sept. 21, 2015 after Porte made a 911 call stating he had strangled his mother to death. Porte was arrested without in­ cident at the scene. Wilson's body was found on a landing at the bottom of the home's basement stairs. A ll efforts to revive her failed. Shortly after her death, the Town of Oakville confirmed W il­ son had been a town bylaw en­ forcement officer and chair of Oakville's property standards committee. She worked for the Town of Oakville for 23 years, from 1986 until her retirement in 2009. Jago noted Wilson would trav­ el to visit sick relatives whom she would care for. Wilson also allowed Porte to move in with her and worked to establish a relationship with his estranged daughter. In his victim impact statement Wilson's son, Levon Wilson, said he cries a lot, particularly when he thinks back to the phone call he received telling him his mother was dead and that his brother had been charged with her murder. He said he also becomes emo­ tional when he hears her favou­ rite song or thinks back to the time he last saw her. Levon noted the situation was made worse by the fact that his mother had been helping Porte by putting a roof over his head and caring for him. Porte's apparent lack of re­ morse and refusal to accept re­ sponsibility for what he had done were other aspects, which Levon said compounded this tragedy. He said Porte had broken his heart and his family and that he could not forgive or forget. Another victim impact state­ ment by Porte's child said they felt "empty" after finding out about their nanna. "She was a sweet, kick-ass lady who deserved so much better," they wrote. Another relative noted news of Wilson's murder resulted in one family member having a break­ down and being hospitalized for months. "I am broken and will never be the way I was," she said. As a second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence, Neil called for the period during which Porte would be ineligible for parole to be held at 13 years. Jago said parole ineligibility for 15-17 years would be more ap­ propriate. In his arguments Neil said Porte had a rough childhood, spending many of his formative years in foster homes. Wilson had pleaded guilty to assaulting Porte when he was 12 years old. Porte, Neil said, had grown up around violence and substance abuse leading to his own lifelong problems with drugs and alcohol. Neil also pointed out the Porte had no previous criminal record and that he has a desire to help others to undo some o f the dam­ age he has done. "This was an isolated incident at its extreme," said Neil. There had been ongoing issues between Porte and his mother concerning his inability to hold down a job, his refusal to keep his living space clean and that he had stolen money from Wilson on at least one occasion, although Porte said he was entitled to that mon­ ey. Jago noted Wilson's murder was an egregious breach of trust, which has had a devastating im­ pact on her family. She said Porte has lived his life portraying himself as the victim and blaming everyone else for his problems. She argued he tried to do that with this trial. Porte testified his mother had been drinking, had assaulted him and he had blacked out, regaining awareness in the Oakville police station with no memory o f killing his mother. Jago said the jury's rapid find­ ing of guilt showed they did not buy that explanation. "He knows what took place and he won't say what happened that night," said Jago. "He hasn't said he's sorry. The family deserves at least that." Finally there were Porte's chilling statements to police in the aftermath of his arrest. Statements Porte says he has not memory of, but which includ­ ed his mother "deserved to die" and "I talked to her the entire time and told her why." Wilson's family and friends al­ so heard from Porte himself who spoke prior to his sentencing. "I can't imagine how much pain I've caused my family," he said, wiping away tears. "I can't come up with words to describe how sorry I am." Porte again stated he has no memory of the moments he mur­ dered his mother, but said he was glad that was the case. He said he would never forgive himself and regrets he can't take back what happened. "I wish I could take their pain (his family) and put it on me, but I can't," he said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry Le(von). I'm sorry everybody." M iller said Porte took Wilson away from family and friends, wreaking a devastating blow to those she cared for. She said another tragedy is that in murdering Wilson, Porte took the life of the person who loved him the most. # H A U L E R u fly (A OAKVILLE TORONTO BURLINGTON VANCOUVER MISSISSAUGA HAMILTON ST. JOHN'S REGINA AND MORE... <A X O y A o 2 ® © o @ ! z 7 o n