- Joined
- Aug 25, 2021
- Messages
- 13,866
- Reaction score
- 33,985
Drake's sentencing for latest murder conviction set for Oct. 24
Adam Joseph Drake will be sentenced in October for his most recent murder conviction, from the September 2022 stabbing of Pat Stay.
www.saltwire.com
A Nova Scotia jury has found a 34-year-old man guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of battle rapper Pat Stay, a 36-year-old father of two who was fatally stabbed 2½ years ago at a downtown Halifax nightclub.
The verdict was delivered Wednesday afternoon in the case of Adam Drake, following a trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court that started a month ago. Jurors began their deliberations Tuesday afternoon and were sequestered overnight.
Stay's family members gasped in relief and cried in the courtroom. Drake turned to them and said, "Sorry, they got it wrong, you don't got justice."
Stay's spouse, Malyssa Burns, wept outside the courtroom.
She told reporters the five weeks of trial have been the longest of her life and the guilty verdict has brought great relief. Stay was an 'amazing person' who deserves the love so many people have shown, she said.
"I feel like he's at peace now," she said.
Burns
The conviction for second-degree murder carries with it an automatic life sentence. Parole ineligibility can range from 10 to 25 years and will be determined by Justice Scott Norton.
Justice Norton
The majority of jury members recommended 25 years.
Norton ordered a Gladue report, a special kind of presentence report for Aboriginal offenders, at Drake’s request and scheduled the sentencing hearing for the 24th of October.
Drake is already serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in the 2016 shooting death of Tyler Keizer, 22. However, the jury in the Stay trial was not told of the conviction in order to preserve Drake's right to a fair trial.
The trial in Stay's death has been emotionally charged, with numerous people attending and tensions spilling outside the courtroom several times. In the final days, supporters of Stay confronted Drake's lawyers more than once outside the courthouse.
Sheriffs reprimanded people in the public gallery for making loud comments during defence closing submissions Monday, and lawyer Michael Lacy was subsequently blocked by a man on a motorcycle as he tried to drive out of the parking lot.
