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3 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,A ugust 13,2020 insidehalton.com FREE DELIVERY IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER. SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY. NO PROMO CODE REQUIRED WINGSUP.COM 2423 TRAFALGAR RD. OAKVILLE (905) 257-7878 The mother of 19-year-old shooting victim Keegan Parkin- son says her soul has been crushed and that she and her husband have been broken by the loss of their son. Sabrina Parkinson joined oth- er family members in reading victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing of an Oak- ville youth who was convicted of manslaughter in connection with Parkinson's July 13, 2018 death. "The death of a child is consid- ered to be the single most trau- matic event in anyone's life. To lose a child is to lose a piece of yourself," said Sabrina during the virtual hearing on Aug. 4. She said there is an emptiness in her home now, and noted that it is heartbreaking to realize that every hope and dream she had for her son is gone. Sabrina said her husband, Ste- phen, is a shadow of his former self. He and Parkinson's brother have been unable to attend the trial due to the overwhelming de- pression and anxiety they are dealing with. In a June 15 ruling, Justice Ste- phen Brown found that the indi- vidual who would be convicted of manslaughter, who can only be identified as Youth 1 because he was 17 at the time of the shooting, played a role in Parkinson's death by loading a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun, which he had brought out during a get-together at an Oakville home. The group of friends had been passing the gun around and pos- ing with it for photos and videos while consuming alcohol, mari- juana and Xanax. A second youth was accused of pulling the trigger and acciden- tally shooting Parkinson. That person was convicted of weapons-related offences, but found not guilty of manslaughter. Sabrina also lashed out at Youth 1 over an attempt to cover up what had happened. Assistant Crown attorney Monica Mackenzie noted that in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Youth 1 told Halton po- lice that Parkinson had been killed by men in ski masks, and even implicated another Oakville boy. This story was ultimately found to have been fabricated. Mackenzie said Youth 1 hid a blood-soaked bedspread, changed his bloody clothes and shoes and hid the gun. She said he and another youth also moved Parkinson's body out of the house and placed it at the foot of the driveway. Mackenzie argued this was done so the pair could better sell their made-up story to police. Youth 1 told the police that Par- kinson was moved so he would be closer to the ambulance when it arrived. "You have never taken respon- sibility for your reckless beha- viour.," said Sabrina. "All the lies. You staged Keegan's death to de- flect blame. You were more inter- ested in self-preservation then calling 911 to get help for your friend." The grieving mother said she wants to forgive Youth 1, but doesn't know how she can when he won't admit what he did. Those present also heard from Parkinson's aunt, Lucy Paunkoff, who noted that the family is being tortured by the trial process. She said this tragedy has not only claimed her nephew, but al- so her sister Sabrina. Youth 1's lawyer, Dean Pa- quette, is calling for his client to be sentenced to time served, not- ing he has spent much of the last two years either in custody or subject to restrictive bail condi- tions. He said that since the shooting Youth 1 has become more social, has an improved relationship with his parents and has the sup- port of his mother and her ex- tended family. Mackenzie is calling for a sen- tence for of two and a half years in custody. With credit given for the time Youth 1 has already served, he would spend another seven months in custody followed by six months of probation. The damage the shooting has done to Parkinson's family, Youth 1's significant criminal record and his past unwillingness to abide by court-imposed restric- tions were also listed as aggravat- ing factors. Justice Brown is expected to hand down Youth 1's sentence on Thursday, Aug. 13. NEWS COURT HEARS FROM VICTIM'S FAMILY AT SENTENCING HEARING DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com Keegan Parkinson. Parkinson family photo