Posted on 08/30/2018 12:33:33 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A former private security guard sentenced Wednesday to four years in jail for manslaughter claims that years of involuntary celibacy left him so frustrated he stomped a man to death two summers ago.
Sheldon Bentley was employed as a security guard at the Lucky 97 grocery store in central Edmonton on July 31, 2016, when he and his partner encountered a man sleeping in an alcove off the alley behind the store at 107th Avenue and 97th Street. Bentley stomped on Donald Doucette, 51, who died within minutes from massive internal bleeding.
At the sentencing hearing, a forensic psychiatrist and a probation officer submitted reports outlining Bentley's anger and frustration about not being able to find a sexual partner.
"He seems to put himself into the category of an involuntary celibate person," Crown prosecutor Kristen Logan said.
The Crown asked Court of Queen's Bench Justice Paul Belzil to impose an eight-year sentence.
"This was a completely unprovoked attack," Logan said. "Mr. Doucette could not have been more vulnerable. He was simply taking a snooze. Mr. Doucette was literally and figuratively kicked when he was down."
Before he was sentenced, Bentley stood in the prisoner's box and asked for a glass of water. After a long swallow, he turned toward Doucette's family and friends and asked for forgiveness.
"Your father did not deserve to die that day," Bentley said. "My actions on that day were nothing short of reprehensible. I'm sorry for what I've taken from you. I can understand if you all can never truly forgive me. I understand you all despise me."
Still standing, hands clasped behind his back, Bentley, 38, confessed he didn't like the person he had become.
"I'd like you to know that at the start of my security career, I was not like this," he said. "The years of dealing with the sorts of things that I had to deal with in my course of work, unfortunately, simply took its toll. In addition to my personal issues."
Those "personal issues'" were described in more detail in reports prepared for the court by a forensic psychiatrist and a probation officer.
Bentley often spoke of his frustrations that he could not attract a woman, despite efforts in person and online, probation officer Ashley Mikasko wrote.
"During the time of the offence, the subject spoke to how he had built up stress from not having any sexual relations."
The probation officer said Bentley told her his only romantic relationship lasted for five months, when he was 27.
"He indicated it was the happiest time of his life, as he had his first sexual experience and felt loved," Mikasko wrote.
Bentley blamed his mother for the end of that relationship. Wanted to be like Captain America
He told the court his role model was Captain America.
"I would like you to know I'm truly not a bad person," he said. "I've tried to live a life of goodness."
But according to the report, Bentley told his probation officer the security job had taken its toll, "because he had to deal with homeless, heavily intoxicated individuals" who were often "verbally and physically aggressive and would call him Pee-Wee every day, a nickname he despised."
Bentley also told the probation officer he had a low opinion of people with addictions.
"A decent person does not engage in rampant, moral depravity such as drug and alcohol use," he told the officer, according to the report.
After meeting with Bentley, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Oto Cadsky wrote that he could understand why the man had difficulties with relationships.
"He appears to be a rather fearful man, afraid of the world around him," Cadsky said in his assessment. "His personality, and his obsessional need for precision and correctness, have almost certainly impeded him in the area of work and relationships."
Defence lawyer Amanda Hart-Dowhun told court her client was a member of the working poor who could only afford to live at the YMCA shelter, and was unable to escape his stressful working environment because he could never afford a vacation, or even dental work.
"Obviously that's no excuse for his behaviour on that day," Hart-Dowhun said. 'I am no threat to the public'
She asked the judge to impose a 28-month sentence, the equivalent of the amount of time Bentley had already served in pretrial custody.
Bentley asked the judge to give him freedom, saying he was potentially interested in joining the military.
"I would like this court to understand," Bentley said, "I am no threat to the public."
Belzil imposed a four-year sentence.
"Bentley told cops he was frustrated with his lot in life," Belzil said. "He couldn't get a girlfriend. The fact he had a frustrated state of mind in no way justified attacking a defenceless individual."
Tianna Doucette-Moody, the victim's daughter, read her victim impact statement in court.
"My father was an innocent man who didn't deserve to die alone in an alley," she said. "No one deserves to be treated so inhumanely.
After the judge left the courtroom, Bentley's distraught mother told reporters she is worried her son will kill himself behind bars, or that someone else will kill him.
What’s with the homo-eroticism in these threads? It’s obviously a kind of homo-activism. Sodomy is wrong any place and any time, and the world doesn’t need a sodomite school in prisons or anywhere else making more sodomites.
Good one.
A truly warped individual. Thank God they refused his offer to join the military.
On the upside, his notoriety will earn him the attention of certain women. On the down side, they will be just as crazy as he is.
It is sad, though. The true love of another human being has done wonders for many. But it won’t fix someone who’s mentally disturbed. Neither will prison, but so be it.
I’m not excusing the crime; I’m just always curious when the family members show up after the fact.
He was staying with her but he moved out. He was trying to get into an addiction treatment program, but had trouble staying sober.
Of course, it's possible that she could have taken him directly to such a program somewhere.
In retrospect that would have been the right choice, but it could be that things just broke in the wrong way, that she assumed he was working things out when he wasn't..
If ‘involuntary celibacy’ was truly a major motivator for murder and mayhem then all males between 12 and 18 would have been put in cages since the beginning of civilization. Paying a hooker is a lot better deal than life in prison or execution for murder.
The chattering class in America just rolled of the short bus.
And he'll probably have a sex life now. Not the one he wanted, but he might get one anyway.
Yes, “a security monitor” as I said. There is one featured in this commercial ^^
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8FNVsbnwWE
I guess she should have paid a Hooker to take care of Dear Old Dad.
“”He seems to put himself into the category of an involuntary celibate person,” “
Is that like self determining what “gender” (SEX) you aspire to?
The lunatics are running the asylum! Can you still use the word “lunatic” today? or is it “hurtful” to crazy people ...Can you still use the word “crazy” today? or is it “hurtful” to mentally challenged people?
I’m sooooo confused.
"Wah! Beautiful girls find my flabby unwashed body unappealing. This is not the way porno says it should be. I am going to kill somebody."
Oh, yes. Understood. My marriage failed due to my Ex’s drug/alcohol abuse. Rehab. 2x. He was phoning it in. He’ll eventually be living under a bridge. :(
4years for murder, such a deal!
I googled him. He looks like Pee Wee Herman.
well, then i am surprised he’s still single. /s
I’m sure the Canadian Govt will now hire “Government paid monitors” to monitor this problem..../s
Liberals ALWAYS have a way to fix things they’ve created...
This defense was mentioned shortly after 9/11 (then disappeared); Muslim men have issues because in their own circles they can’t just “score” with random Muslim women.
My first thought too.
His family didn't care about him before, so any words now ring hollow.
Hey, as long as you don’t monkey around with the definitions, you can use those terms all day, for all I care.
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