The man who shot and killed Michael Young on July 12, 2020 in a fit of jealous rage has been sentenced to life in prison at a federal penitentiary with no chance of parole for 15 years.
Michael Marois, 51, was sentenced on May 25 by Superior Court Justice Alex Kurke after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in March.
Marois had been charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree with the Crown’s consent.
In addition to his prison sentence, Marois was handed a lifetime weapons ban, he must submit a sample of his DNA, and his is to have no contact with a list of 19 people and their immediate family.
Furthermore, the “veritable arsenal of weaponry,” as Kurke called it, that was found at Marois home during a search warrant following Young’s murder, which includes numerous firearms, pellet guns, BB guns, dozens of knives and katana-style swords, as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition, will be destroyed.
Mitigating factors in the sentence are the lack of a criminal record, the fact Marois has pleaded guilty, and has shown a degree of remorse for his actions, said assistant Crown attorney Lindsey Santerre
However, there are significant aggravating factors in the sentencing, she said.
First, this was an offence committed out of domestic violence, spurred by jealousy. Not only was one firearm used, but there were two used in this offence, one being a restricted handgun, the other being a shotgun. Both were loaded. Marois also had a knife. All three were used in the offence, Santerre said.
In addition, there was no regard for the safety of others. Where the shooting took place on Rita Street is a highly populated area of Hanmer, and there was a multi-unit apartment complex and multiple single-family dwellings within range of the scene of this event.
“It is just by sheer luck and the grace of God that no one else was shot during this event,” said Santerre.
Further aggravating factors include the fact no one else, including the victim Michael Young, was armed.
“He was essentially ambushed during this offence,” said Santerre.
It was an emotional day as more than a dozen impact statements were read to the court. Furthermore, an audio recording of the five gunshots was heard, as was the 911 call placed by one of Young’s neighbours.
Lisa Langdon, who is Marois’ ex-girlfriend and was attempting to start a new relationship with Young, said although she did not put the guns in Marois’ hands, she can’t help but feel responsible.
“I understand that I did not put those weapons in the shooter’s hands (she refused to use Marois’ name), but I can’t help but feel responsible for putting Michael Young and others in harm’s way,” she said in her victim impact statement.
Langdon is the one who wrestled with Marois when he retrieved the loaded shotgun from his truck after emptying the magazine of the handgun he fired at Young. She said the entire incident felt like seconds and forever at the same time.
“The barrel was coming straight at us,” she said. “My body moved on its own, and I ran to the shooter to push the gun away from us. All I could do was not let go. The shooter’s eyes were black, and there was nothing.
“The fear that I was not strong enough and my face being blown off flashed in my head. During the struggle, I saw the shooter’s thumb go for the trigger. I pushed the gun away from me as hard as I could. I had to get back to Michael Young, begging him to breathe. His eyes were open with red tears, but he wouldn’t talk. All I could hear was swishing, like tiny waves, as another person performed CPR. The miracle I hung onto quickly went away, and I just kept asking myself over and over, why? It’s just not real.”
In the 10 months following the shooting, Langdon said she has experienced “utter paralysis.” She has had to re-learn to eat, to sleep, to trust, and to even leave her own home.
“Some days are good, and some are not, and I still don’t understand why and how I'm still here. I do keep in my heart and mind what Michael Young has given me, while I try to figure out how to find peace and accept.”
She described the weeks and months leading up to July 12, 2020 as nothing short of a nightmare. She said it was a constant battle for years “trying to pull the good out of a human being with no soul.
Marois had to be constantly pushed to bond with his own family, even his children and grandchildren, she said. When she finally made the decision to end the toxic relationship, she endured constant intimidating threats for weeks, from continued harassment, to bullets being left on her nightstand, to verbal threats of physical harm.
“I thought I had succeeded in de-escalating the murderer’s rage, and then he did the unspeakable,” she said. “Michael Young and I were both targets, I could see it in his eyes that day that he wasn’t going to stop until we were both dead. A coward took Michael Young’s life in front of me because of his own inadequacies.”
In handing down the sentence, Justice Kurke told the court most of us, in our lives, will know the sorrow of rejection. It is a common part of the human experience that everyone has to learn to deal with, to get past, to grow from, he said.
“This court must send out the message that we all have the right to be free from other people and free to choose our own path,” said Kurke. “This is a tragic and unnecessary killing, and we should have long moved past the days when a man can treat a woman like his property and feel justified in vindicating his property rights over her through violence and slaughter.”
Society has worked to recognize and protect boundaries in relationships, he said. It is important to recognize that when a relationship is ending, we must acknowledge the independence and dignity of each individual and respect each other’s freedom to choose.
“We all have that right, and everyone must accept that right in others,” Kurke said.
Kurke called Marois’ actions cowardice, and a sure effort to exercise, artificially, authority and control over what he was unable to influence by force of his character.
Marois addressed the court from the Sudbury Jail. He apologized for his actions, telling the friends and family of Michael Young he’s sorry for what he did.
“I take full responsibility for it,” he said. “It still fills me with remorse whenever I think about it, and I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that I’ve caused. If I could take back those few minutes when I was pushed passed my mental breaking point, I would. I have never hurt anyone like this before, or even been in trouble with the law. I have always tried to be a good and decent person who avoids conflict
Marios said he’s finally receiving the help he should have been receiving years ago, “I just didn’t realize I needed help, and I wish it hadn’t come when it was too late.”
“It took me a long time to be able to live with myself (Marois was on suicide watch until April), and I’m still working on that,” he said.
“I plan on coming out of this devastating experience a better person. I realize this doesn’t help the people I’ve hurt, and all I can do is say how sorry I am, and ask that someday, maybe, you can find a way to forgive me.”
