Robert Edwin Matheson sentenced in Laura Jessome's death

Robert Edwin Matheson has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for helping dispose of the body of Laura Jessome, a Cape Breton woman whose remains were found in a hockey bag in May 2012.

Matheson's sentencing hearing has revealed details of exactly what happened to Jessome.

According to the agreed statement of facts introduced in court, another man named Morgan McNeil killed her when she refused to have sex with him. That claim is contained in a conversation Matheson said he had with Thomas Barrett the night Jessome died.

Thomas Ted Barrett, 39, and Morgan James MacNeil, 23, are facing charges of second-degree murder in Jessome's death.

Portions of the conversation Matheson had with Barrett that night are included in the agreed statement of facts.

"He said me and Morgan got a girl from the detox and Morgan McNeil Killed her," Matheson's statement reads.

"I don't want no involvement in this," Matheson said in his statement. "This is too heavy for me."

Matheson initially refused Barrett's request to help move Jessome's body, which he said was in a hockey bag in the hall outside the apartment.

Barrett returned to Matheson's home two more times that same day to ask for Matheson's help.

Allegations not proven in court

Matheson's statement shows he was afraid of Barrett.

"I thought right away, you know, dangerous Tom Barrett killed her, not little Morgan McNeil," Matheson said, according to the statement.

In his second visit to Matheson's home, at around midnight, Barrett asked to borrow his car to move Jessome's body. Matheson said he feared Barrett would crash the vehicle so he finally agreed to do the driving.

"I drove the car worried the consequences of Tom Barrett 'cause he's a dangerous man," said the statement.

In his statement, Matheson said Barrett took rocks from a rock wall in front of Matheson's house to weigh down the bag containing Jessome's body. The two men then drove along the Mira River, looking for a spot to dispose of her body.

Matheson said they ended up on Marion Bridge. He said Barrett struggled to get the hockey bag, weighed down with rocks and Jessome's body, out of the trunk of the car and over the bridge railing into the water.

"I heard a big splash and he gets in the car," Matheson said.

As they drove away, Matheson said Barrett claimed he could still smell the body, so he had Matheson pull over so Barrett could remove the carpet from the trunk and throw it into the water. Matheson said the two then drove back to Glace Bay.

None of the allegations against Barrett or MacNeil have been proven.

• On mobile? Read the agreed statement of facts here

Matheson's actions 'despicable'

On Wednesday in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in Sydney, Matheson was given more than two years credit for time served, reducing his sentence to just four more months for being an accessory after the fact in Jessome's murder.

The 51-year-old pleaded guilty in September to being an accessory after the fact.

In court Wednesday, Jessome's mother, sister and aunt gave victim impact statements. Her mother said she's not the mother and grandmother she once was. She said she can't work and feels guilty she wasn't able to protect her daughter.

Jessome's aunt described Matheson's actions as "despicable."

Matheson also addressed the court, saying he drove Jessome's body from Glace Bay to Mira because he knew her killer was a violent and dangerous man.

He was overcome with emotion as he apologized to her family, saying he has nightmares about the experience and wishes he had made a different decision.

Justice Patrick Murray described the case as profoundly sad and tragic.