Convicted cop killer to serve six more months in prison

BY LAUREL MYERS

The lawyer of the man convicted of killing Sudbury Police Sgt. Rick McDonald pleaded with the court last week to cut his client some slack when deciding on his sentence.

Jeremy Trodd, 25, returned to Sudbury court last week after being arrested in November on charges of breaching his bail conditions, which were set  following his release from jail in May.

Defence attorney Louis Sola argued his client had been targeted by police and other inmates while in jail and deserved a shorter sentence than the Crown’s requested two years, the maximum sentence in this case. He also argued for a two-for-one day credit for the time Trodd had already spent in jail since his arrest in November.

“The maximum sentence, in my submission, is overkill by any stretch of the imagination,” Sola said. “My client has spent a disproportionate amount of his young life locked up in jails. His life was made very difficult in every institution he was in because of his involvement with the death of a police officer.”

The lawyer explained his client had also become the target of other youth within the system who wanted to show they were tough by showing their brawn against a “cop killer.” 

The situation was made worse yet, by the fallen officer’s brother, who held a position in the upper echelons of the penitentiary system.

“My client was informed his life would be made difficult for him,” Sola said. 

“He was a young, inexperienced person and didn’t know how to cope with the situation...so he rebelled against authority.”

Sola listed a number of incidents which occurred since Trodd was brought back into custody in November, that resulted in the young man spending a significant amount of time in “the hole”, or segregation.

One incident resulted from Trodd complaining of a “short, curly hair” found in his pudding. When the guards would not give him a new dessert, he threw his tray on the ground.

Another trip to the hole came after Trodd was found writing graffiti on a wall in the yard with a bar of soap. 

“Whenever he goes anywhere within the confines of the jail, he’s handcuffed,” Sola added. “If one reason to jail a person is to help to rehabilitate them, they sure have a funny way of doing it.”

The defence attorney added fuel to the fire by recounting his client’s troubled past. The youngest of five children and of Aboriginal background, Trodd’s parents separated when he was only  two years old. His mother entered a new relationship when the boy was five with a man Trodd wouldn’t accept as his father. 

Three weeks before Trodd’s release from prison, his father died. Despite his mother’s attempts to delay the funeral and Sola’s attempts to have his client released one week early to attend, the funeral went on in the absence of Trodd.

“That’s the kind of treatment my client has received in the federal system,” Sola said. “He served the very last minute of his sentence and missed his father’s funeral after spending eight years in prison.

“I would ask that you cut him some slack.”

Assistant Crown attorney Roberta Bald brought in an employee from the Sudbury jail, who could attest to the treatment Trodd had received while incarcerated, and in relation, the accused’s behaviour.

“The picture Mr. Sola is painting of Mr. Trodd is completely different from the document I have in my hand,” Bald said, referring to Trodd’s criminal record. “He is trying to portray Mr. Trodd as a victim of the system.”

Officer Kevin Messenger, security manager at the Sudbury District Jail, recounted three occasions when Trodd was involved in misconduct. In addition to the two aforementioned incidents, Trodd was also involved in a fight with another inmate while waiting to go to court. Messenger also added Trodd had thrown a total of 14 meal trays, breaking one, in response to the dessert incident.

“Five of Mr. Trodd’s most recent offences occurred while he was in police custody, including the assault of a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking,” Bald said.

In reference to the assault of a peace officer, Bald recounted the report of the incident that said Trodd had bitten the officer’s elbow. The accused was also reported saying, “Don’t you know who I am? I’m a cop killer. You can’t screw with me. I’m a cop killer.”

“Even when incarcerated, he is still a danger to others,” the Crown attorney said. “He has shown a blatant disregard for authority and the law by not complying with his bail conditions. His lack of respect for authority calls for the court to deal with him in a manner that will make Mr. Trodd realize what he has done is wrong... and that he has to follow his conditions.”

After a lengthy deliberation period, Justice Robert Villeneuve sentenced Trodd to one year in prison, followed by a two-year probation period. However, Villeneuve took into consideration the time Trodd has already served, and gave him a two-for-one credit for the number of days spent in jail, not including his time spent in segregation,  which accounted for 23 days and was only considered for a one-to-one credit. In total, Trodd will only have to serve six months.

“This young man has, for his age, what can be considered a lengthy record... and has unfortunately spent most of his life incarcerated,” the judge said. However, “Mr. Trodd is the author of his own misfortune.”

In his sentencing, Villeneuve noted there had been no effort on the part of the accused for rehabilitation, and ordered him to attend any counseling deemed necessary by his probation officer once he had served his time.

“It’s evident to me you have some issues to deal with, whether it’s apparent to you or not,” he said. “I hope your probation officer can get you off this treadmill and make you a contributing member of society. You’ve already spent to much of your life behind bars.”