BRIDGEWATER — Laura Lee Robertson’s children say they have some peace of mind now that their mother’s killer has been sentenced, and that in the process, the judge condemned spousal violence.
“I’m not relieved, but I can get some of peace from the sentence,” Amanda Jones said moments after James Leroy Leopold was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison for killing her mother, Laura Lee Robertson.
Leopold, 32, gets one year’s credit for time spent in jail awaiting his second-degree murder trial. A jury found Leopold guilty in May in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Bridgewater of manslaughter in Robertson’s death in April 2011.
The medical examiner found Robertson was strangled, but the jury accepted Leopold’s account that he killed her with a single blow to the neck after she bit him during a sex act. Leopold was bitten “not accidentally, but purposely and forcefully on his penis,” defence lawyer Chris Manning told the court Wednesday morning.
He said the bite severed a tendon and the pain was excruciating for Leopold, who at one point thought he was facing amputation.
Manning said Leopold did not plan to kill Robertson. “It was a reflexive type of response to a sudden, unprovoked attack.”
Justice Kevin Coady also issued a lifetime firearms ban and ordered the Liverpool man to submit to a DNA order.
Coady said he hopes the sentence serves as a strong deterrent to both Leopold and other men who abuse women. He said Leopold had a dysfunctional upbringing, but did little to overcome that, which is most evident in his treatment of women.
Leopold has four prior convictions for domestic offences. In 2006, he was convicted of assaulting his former spouse and in 2010 he was convicted of two counts of threatening her. While on remand awaiting trial on the second-degree murder charge, Leopold was convicted of spousal assault on a different partner.
Jones said she was impressed with the judge’s remarks, and that he treated violence against women so seriously.
Crown attorney Leigh-Ann Bryson asked for a seven- to 10-year jail term, while defence lawyer Chris Manning asked for a four- to six-year term.
Bryson said she is satisfied with the sentence and it was “within the range we recommended.”
The minimum sentence for manslaughter is a suspended sentence or probation, while the maximum is life. Bryson said the sentence for cases similar to this one ranged from seven to 10 years.
“We felt that was an appropriate range based on the facts of this case,” she said.
Bryson confirmed Leopold offered to plead guilty to manslaughter last March, but that offer was turned down after consulting with administration and senior prosecutors.
“There was an offer of a guilty plea to manslaughter; this is a major case with significant repercussions for all parties involved, including the family and the community, as well as potential for legal precedent,” she said.
“I believe her life was worth a lot more than seven years but it’s out of our hands, the whole situation is out of our hands,” Jones said.
“Any sentence that he could get still isn’t good enough because it doesn’t bring my mum back,” said Robertson’s son, Tim Robertson.
However, Jones said she is relieved the court process is over for a family that has suffered terrible anguish. “I’m just glad to see it all come to an end because it’s a lot more trying than I ever thought it would be.”
Coady said he is not satisfied Leopold has a true sense of deep remorse but hopes that during his time in jail he will come to see how his actions have affected the women in his life and their families.
Neither Jones nor Robertson believe Leopold is remorseful. “Sorry doesn’t bring my mum back,” Robertson said.
“Jamie showed fear of being incarcerated, Jamie showed fear of being found guilty, and he showed shame that his family had to listen to those things. I don’t believe he showed one ounce of remorse. He didn’t show remorse in the 14 days we looked for her,” Jones said.
The brother and sister said they and their family owe the Queens RCMP detachment, investigators and the community a large thank you for their “phenomenal support.”
“We do appreciate every bit of support,” Jones said.
Robertson said, “It means so much to us, and we couldn’t ask for a better community to help us through this, and to the people in our little town of Liverpool, ‘Thanks.’
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/111455-leopold-gets-seven-years-in-prison-for-killing-fianc-e
Topic: Laura Lee Robertson | 47 | Missing | Liverpool | April 14, 2011 (Read 11677 times)
