Victim Impact Statement

  • Verdict – William Joles Guilty of Second Degree Murder
  • Sentence date – Wednesday, June 27, 2018

The trial is now done. Up until this point we have all been observers of the process, even for us, the family. It has been a legal process which we have supported and in which we have received much support, but we have not been active participants.

The final step is sentencing.

The trial focused on the very violent and horrific evidence surrounding Nathan’s murder. Various details were presented in the news and can be read via the links below.  During the trial, the focus was on the facts only – such as blood splatter and contusions. But there was no information on who Nathan is and why this has hurt us all so much. Sentencing is where we (all of us) can have a voice and an influence through Victim Impact Statements.

The sentence for second degree murder is automatically life imprisonment. However, eligibility to apply for parole varies from 10 years to 25 years. If the judge decides on the minimum, that means that Will Joles can apply for parole and potentially be back out on the streets in 10 years. FYI – Each day that he has been in custody since August 28, 2016 counts as 1.5 days towards his sentencing. That means that he COULD be out on the streets in LESS than 10 years. Let’s do our best to express the impact of this horrible possibility.

The purpose of the impact statements are to assist the judge in understanding the loss to us, you and the community, and the impact that this crime has had on us all.

Victim Impact Statements can be written by individuals and by communities. These can be written by anyone, not just family and friends. The judge must review ALL of the submissions before sentencing.

These statements will contribute to the judge’s decision about the sentence.

We invite you to submit either an individual statement or contribute to a community statement. Community groups can be any collection of people. We suggest groups who have a common connection to Nathan – friends, yoga, social network,  leadership network, etc. There are people who are coordinating statements for – the yoga community, Voices.com community, social innovation/enterprise community – let us know if you would like to be connected with any of those groups or if you would like to coordinate/work with another group.

What is needed:

  • Individual(s) from each community group who is willing to gather comments and write the statement (a form is available).
  • Members of the community to contribute to the statement.
  • Members of the community to sign the statement.

Comments posted at the time of Nathan’s death that may provide ideas for statements.

In the documents linked below, you will find suggested categories such as emotional impact, physical impact, economic impact, and fears for security. These are meant as guidelines and suggestions, and you do not need to comment on all of them. You may choose to fill out the form, write a letter, create a video, submit a piece of artwork, or any other appropriate format. The submission can be on behalf of one person or a group of people. Statements must be signed and dated.

Sentencing is on Wednesday, June 27 at the London courthouse – On this day, statements are presented to the judge. All statements are submitted. Individuals/communities can choose to present all or part of their submission or submit without a presentation. Presentations can also be done through formats such as video. It would also make a statement to fill the court room with community members even if you can only join us for a short period in the day.

Documents:

Please note the specific do’s and don’ts listed in the fact sheets regarding the statements. Basically, you cannot state things about Will that were not presented in court or recommend the length of parole eligibility. Focus on Nathan and how his murder has impacted you.

If possible, please send in submissions by June 20. The crown prosecutor can then review them and present them to the judge before the 27th. However, they will be accepted right up until June 27. You can choose to read you submission in court, have the crown read it, or leave it for the judge to read in private.

You are welcome to submit a Victim Impact Statement directly to the Victim/Witness Assistance Office (londonvwap@ontario.ca) or you can coordinate with us. We can assist in connecting with others in the community if you wish to contribute to a group.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mona and Tim Deslippe at nathan@mldsolutions.com.

News Articles from Trial

NOTE: There are vivid details in some of these articles.

London Free Press

CBC

CTV

Nathan T. Deslippe Memorial Fund

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