Man who murdered Breanna Menacho is sentenced

The man who murdered 22-year-old Breanna Menacho in Yellowknife in May 2020 will serve six more years in prison before he is eligible for parole.

Devon Larabie, 31, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to second-degree murder.

In NWT Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon he was sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole for 10 years. As he has already served four years in custody, that means he will be eligible for parole in six years’ time.

Second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence in Canada. People convicted of the charge must serve 10 to 25 years in prison before they are eligible for parole. The Parole Board of Canada ultimately decides if an inmate will be released on parole.

In his sentencing decision on Thursday, Justice David Gates accepted the minimum period of imprisonment before parole eligibility, which was jointly proposed by Crown and defence lawyers.

Gates said while that was “not necessarily” the sentence he would have imposed, he was legally bound to accept the joint submission as it was not “so unhinged” it would bring the administration of justice into disrepute and was not otherwise contrary to the public interest.

Prosecutor Blair McPherson, speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, said lawyers believed the sentence was “a fit and fair outcome.”

“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family today,” he said. “The murder of Breanna Menacho was a great tragedy. Its circumstances are violent and shocking.”

Menacho’s family and friends described her in statements to the court as an empathetic, intelligent and funny young Indigenous woman who had lots of friends, liked to give hugs and was an avid soccer player.

‘I am truly remorseful’

Reading from a statement before the sentence was delivered, Larabie apologized for his actions.

“I am haunted by shame and guilt,” he said.

“Every day I’ll be reminded of what I’ve done.”

Larabie said he wants to change and is committed to furthering his education and taking programming. He told the author of a pre-sentence report he hopes to pursue university education or a trade while in prison.

“I am truly remorseful. I wish I could make things right,” he said.

Before pleading guilty, Larabie had fired several lawyers and there were numerous delays in the case.

Justice Gates said the lengthy court process had delayed the healing process for Menacho’s family and friends. He said one of the reasons why it had taken so long was to ensure Larabie’s right to a fair trial.

“It is a sad reality that sometimes ensuring a trial is fair takes longer than any of us would want,” he said.

“We need to do better.”

On Tuesday, Larabie said he had wanted to challenge the charge against him as RCMP did not have a warrant when they searched his apartment, where they discovered Menacho’s body and the murder weapon. He said he ultimately decided to accept responsibility for the murder.

“I didn’t want to lie any more. I am guilty,” he said.

‘The second part of your life’

Lawyers told the court the warrantless search, along with Larabie’s intoxication at the time of the murder and difficulties getting witnesses to testify, would have posed challenges at trial.

Gates said Larabie’s guilty plea indicated he accepted responsibility for the crime and spared the court, Menacho’s family and friends and witnesses a weeks-long trial. The judge said, however, that plea was entered very late in the court process.

Other factors Gates considered in sentencing Larabie included the nature of the offence and his background.

Gates said Larabie’s attack on Menacho was “totally unprovoked gratuitous violence,” which he committed in front of bystanders. He said Larabie also took steps to try to cover up the crime before he was arrested.

Gates said that, according to a pre-sentencing report, Larabie is “truly bewildered” by what happened and has no explanation for what prompted his actions.

Larabie said he had been awake for five days straight and was under the influence of alcohol and crack cocaine at the time of the murder.

Larabie was under court-ordered conditions at the time to not consume intoxicating substances or possess weapons.

Gates said Larabie has participated in all programming offered to him at the North Slave Correctional Complex since he was arrested in May 2020. He said, however, that Larabie has also been the subject of several disciplinary hearings related to contraband, tattooing, fighting and disobeying reasonable orders.

Gates said Larabie is a relatively young Indigenous offender with no prior criminal record, which he called “somewhat surprising to say the least,” given the challenges Larabie has faced.

The pre-sentencing report states that Larabie is a member of the Łútsël K’é Dene First Nation who has been impacted by intergenerational trauma from residential school and is disconnected from his language and culture.

Larabie was born with FASD and non-progressive brain damage and later diagnosed with ADHD and other learning disabilities. Gates said he experienced physical abuse and chronic neglect at a very young age and was exposed to domestic violence and alcohol and drug use.

He was later subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse described in the pre-sentencing report as “tortuous.” The court also heard about Larabie’s longstanding addiction to alcohol and drugs.

“I don’t know how you survived your childhood and adolescence,” Gates told Larabie.

“Take that as a gift as you start the second part of your life.”

Gates said Larabie’s completion of high school, his employment skills and periods of sobriety indicate his resilience, initiative, drive and ambition.

“You have done a terrible thing,” Gates told Larabie. “You have to live with that for the rest of your life.”

But he said Larabie now has a chance to turn his life around and encouraged him to take any programming he can while in prison.

“Don’t waste a minute, not a minute of your time in custody,” he said.