'My brother was everything to me': Victim's family shares pain at Kevin Mantla sentencing

A Crown prosecutor is calling for the man who murdered Elvis Lafferty and attempted to murder Lafferty's girlfriend to spend at least 20 years in jail before being eligible for parole.

"What led to this crime was uncontrollable jealousy and a desire to possess and control at all costs," saidJill Andrews during the sentencing hearing forKevin Mantla on Wednesdayin Yellowknife.

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Just over three years ago, after learning that his ex-partner had a new boyfriend, Mantla flew from Gameti to Yellowknife.

In the early morning hours of the next day, Sept. 28, 2015, he entered her apartment, stabbed Elvis Lafferty to death,stabbed his ex numerous times and threatened to kill one of two children present.

Whenever the door opens, I always think he's going to come in.- Mary Jane Lafferty, mother of the victim

"There are no mitigating factors here," said Andrews, pointing out Mantla did not plead guilty, has shown no remorse and has not acknowledged any of the harm he has caused.

Mantla's lawyer, Tracy Bock, said his client intends to appeal his conviction.

Dressed in a grey collared shirt and black pants, Mantla, 39, leaned back in his seat with his arms folded over his chest through much of the hearing. At the end, when the judge asked him if he had anything to say, Bock answered for him, saying his client did not wish to speak.

The murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence. The sentence Bock recommended was not far from the crown's 15 to 17 years before parole eligibility.

Victims share their loss

A lot of tears were shed during the first half of the hearing, when victim impact statements laid bare the tragic aftermath of the brutal attack.

Mary Jane Lafferty said she thinks about her son, Elvis, every day. "Whenever the door opens I always think he's going to come in." She said her son was always there to help when she needed a hand, especially when she was ill.

"My brother was a good guy, for real," said his brother, Gary, after the hearing. "He was always there for us. He was the oldest one. He had a big heart for us."

"My brother was everything to me," said Elvis's sister, Patricia, in her victim impact statement. "I will miss his smile, his laughter, his jokes. She urged Mantla to "work on himself" while he is doing his time.

In a statement read out by the prosecutor,Lafferty's girlfriend, said that despite several surgeries and a long recovery, she sufferedpermanent nerve damage to her hand. She will bearthe scars of the attack for the rest of her life.

Heridentity is shielded by a publication ban, but the statement offereda glimpse into what it was like being in a relationship with Mantla: "I always had to be alert. It was like I was walking on eggshells. He was very jealous and controlling."

"Elvis was more like a friend and companion," she said. "He was gentle and kind."

She said when she left Mantla, he showed no emotion but, months later, when he found out she was with Lafferty he "just went insane, he freaked out."

Justice Louise Charbonneau said she will sentence Mantla on Nov. 8.