Former CFL player convicted of ex-girlfriend's murder won't be eligible for parole for 14 years
A former professional football player who was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend will not be eligible for parole for 14 years.
Joshua Boden, who once played with the Canadian Football League as a wide receiver, learned his sentence in a Vancouver courtroom on Friday.
Family and friends of the victim, Kimberly Hallgarth, sat in the front row of the courtroom gallery, at times crying and hugging one another.
Outside court, Hallgarth’s brother Jamie Errand said while nothing will bring his sister back, they are satisfied with the sentence.
“I’m very happy with the judge’s decision today. I think it was firm and fair,” he said. “The lack of remorse and admittance to the crime is really not that great, however that’s not me that has to live with that, that’s somebody else.”
Second-degree murder convictions come with an automatic life sentence in B.C., so it was up to the judge to determine when Boden would be eligible for parole. The Crown asked for 15 years, while Boden's legal team suggested 12 years.
Boden, 35, was found guilty last year of the second-degree murder of Hallgarth. The 33-year-old was killed in 2009 in the Burnaby, B.C., home she shared with her three-year-old daughter.
During Boden's sentencing hearing, the B.C. Supreme Court heard that Boden viciously beat his ex-girlfriend, choked her and then staged the scene in an effort to make her death look like an accident.
Justice Arne Silverman told the court that according to the Crown the “prolonged nature of the killing” was an aggravating factor, in which Boden stomped on Hallgarth’s neck and chest, and put pills and socks into her mouth before strangling her.
The Crown called her murder "blunt, brutal and horrific," with prosecutor Brendan McCabe describing her injuries as the most shocking he'd seen in his career.
McCabe told the court photos of her injuries she alleged stemmed from an assault by Boden were sent to then-coach of the B.C. Lions Wally Buono. The prosecutor said that Boden blamed Hallgarth for the end of his career.
The murder happened the year after Boden was released from the B.C. Lions, which he'd only signed with in 2007.
At the time of his release, he planned to play with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but never played a regular-season game with the team. He was cut from the team.
Boden maintained his innocence through the trial process.
As Boden walked out of the courtroom with sheriffs, he said “have a good day.” It’s unclear who the statement was directed towards.
Errand said his sister had an infectious laugh, loved people, and treated friends like family.
“It’s a sad day, but you know again I have gratitude that I’m here and we finally have some closure,” he said. “She’s missed.”
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.