Matthew Claxton & Kyler Emerson/Langley Advance Times
A 21-year-old, who gave a lethal overdose MDMA to Langley teen Carson Crimeni, will spend 18 months behind bars, a judge ruled today.
The young man, who cannot be named because he was 17 when Carson died, will spend 18 months in a provincial prison followed by 18 months on a supervised release.
Carson was 14 when he died in a Walnut Grove park from a massive drug overdose.
Following Thursday morning’s decision, Carson’s father Aron Crimeni spoke with reporters outside the New Westminster Supreme Court, expressing his disappointment with the sentence.
“We were hoping for at least two years of incarceration… 18 months, it seems very insufficient for the crime,” Dad said, adding he hoped a longer sentence could set a precedent.
The offender pleaded guilty and admitted to selling a dose of MDMA to Carson at a local skate park on Aug. 7, 2019. When Carson asked for a second dose some time later, the offender gave him a much larger dose than Carson requested.
Carson believed he had ingested the equivalent of three “caps” of MDMA, or about 0.3 grams. In fact, he may have received as much as 13 caps in total that day. An autopsy revealed blood-test results consistent with having consumed at least 10 times a single average dose.
A lengthy police investigation led to manslaughter charges last year.
As the trial date approached, the accused entered the guilty plea.
Crown prosecutors asked Justice Kathleen Ker to impose a two-year jail term, to be served in adult provincial prison, with a year of supervised release. Defence lawyers asked the judge for 12 to 18 months in prison and the remainder on release.
Ker said the offender’s moral blameworthiness was “quite high,” but believes that he is on the road to rehabilitation with his job, family support, and being off drugs since Carson’s death.
“He made a dangerous and stupid decision, and it cost a child his life,” Ker told the courtroom.
“The raw pain, anguish, and sorrow Carson’s family has expressed with regard to his needless death leaps off the pages of their victim impact statements,” she added.
Aron, and Carson’s grandfather Darrel Crimeni, attended the sentencing hearing Thursday. Several officers involved with the case were also present to witness the outcome.
READ MORE: Young offender’s apology for death of Carson Crimeni dubbed ‘insincere’ by victim’s dad
