Hannah Leflar's mother tells killer to 'burn in hell' at sentencing hearing - Action News
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Saskatchewan

Hannah Leflar's mother tells killer to 'burn in hell' at sentencing hearing

A judge heard victim impact statements in the sentencing hearing for the 19-year-old man convicted of killing teen Hannah Leflar.

12 victim impact statements were heard on Friday

Hannah Leflar, 16, was found dead in her home in Regina on Jan. 12, 2015. (CBC)

The mother of Hannah Leflarurged the judge to have no mercy on her daughter's 19-year-old killer and told him to"burn in hell" during a sentencing hearing Friday.

Twelve victim impact statements were read fromfriends and family at the hearing for the man who killed Hannah in January 2015.Thehearing is to determine whether or not the 19-year-old, who cannot be named because hewas 16 at the time of the killing, will be sentenced as an adult.

Hannah, 16, died after being stabbed by the killer, an ex-boyfriend driven by jealously,at least 10 times in her home on Jan.12, 2015.

Mother says family is in 'financial ruin'

"She was my only child," Janet Leflar, Hannah's mother, said in her statement,choking back tears.

"I will never know my daughter as an adult. I've lost my entire future because of this, a future that revolved around my daughter's plans. My future is now a blank wall."

Leflaralso said the man"murdered my future grandchildren."

Since her daughter's murder, Leflar said sheseveredsome of her relationships because of thegrief she now suffers. She's also been unable to work since the day of the killing,having to forgo a career she spent years building.

The family is also in financial ruin, Leflar said, and lives with anxiety about being in the home where Hannah was killed.

"We now have to get our home prepared for sale and don't know how greatly the value has been affected because a 16-year-old girl was murdered in the master bedroom."

'Wherever she is, you won't be going there'

She told the manthat as a mother, she almost feels pain for him, knowing that he was "unloved" in his own home, and called him "heartless."

"I hope to see my daughter again. I hope to hold her again," said Leflar.

"Wherever she is, you won't be going there, and I don't believe you have the capacity to appreciate what you've done."

At the end of her statement, Leflar asked the judge to have no mercy on the 19-year-old, then turned to him and said,"Burn in hell."

Doug Lapchuk, a friend of the Leflar family,said the pain of losing Hannah is their life sentence.

Leflar's aunts and grandparents also made statements, saying they feel torture and endure sleepless nights knowing what happened to Hannah.

One cousin said she's watched their family break into pieces and struggle to stay together afterLeflar's murder.

Killer would get mental health treatment in prison: Corrections

Earlier on Friday, Crown prosecutors called a last-minute expert witness at the hearing.

Trina Debler, an employee with Correctional Services Canada, was called to dispute testimony from psychologist Terry Nicholaichuk earlier in the week that there wouldn't be sufficient mental health help in federal prisons for Leflar's killer.

Nicholaichuk testified that services for the 19-year-oldwould be limited in federal prison after he aged out of youth facilities at age 20.

The Crown and Justice Jennifer Pritchardquestioned whether or not Nicholaichuk was entitled to offer such a suggestion as he was not employed by CSC.

Pritchard also mentioned the possibility of conducting another test for psychopathy, since Nicholaichuk'sresults differed considerably from what had been suggested earlier at the hearing by psychiatrist Brent Harold.

Harold had testified last week that the teen was amonga handful of people out of thousands who displayed "psychopathic tendencies." Nicholaichuk, meanwhile, said the teen scored extremely low on the test for psychopathy he administered.

Debler said there are services offered through the Integrated Correctional Program Model in federal penitentiaries which provide "multi-targeted programs" with a "more holistic" approach for individual needs.

The programs have varyingintensities, offering as many as 97 group and individual sessions for high-risk offenders.

Debler noted that the program is not offered to inmates in segregation due to its group orientation and inmates in the program are prioritizedby need.

The program is available to someone serving a life sentence with parole eligibility in 10 years but the programming would have to be complete before any parole hearing.

With files from Joelle Seal