Man sentenced to four years for manslaughter in sister’s death

A man from Fort McPherson has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for manslaughter in the 2023 death of his sister in a house fire.

Randall Blake, 28, had pleaded guilty to the charge earlier this year after Clara Blake, 22, died in December 2023.

Police initially charged Randall with arson related to a residential fire in Fort McPherson.

RCMP said a person had been found deceased at the home. They later identified that person as Clara and charged Randall with manslaughter in connection to her death.

According to an agreed statement of facts filed with the court, Randall had not known that his sister was upstairs when he set fire to the home where he lived with his father.

Randall was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for manslaughter in Fort McPherson last week, as first reported by CBC.

The Crown withdrew additional charges of recklessly causing damage by fire to a house and uttering a threat to burn a person’s property.

With 30 months’ credit for time spent in pre-trial custody, Randall has 18 months of his sentence left to serve.

Once released from jail, he will be on probation for two years and prohibited from possessing firearms for 10 years.

Facts of the case

The agreed statement of facts states that on the evening of December 15, 2023, Randall and his father were heavily intoxicated when they got into a physical fight and Randall told his father he would light his house on fire.

Randall’s father then went to a neighbour’s home, saying that Randall was “out of control.” The neighbour let him inside and locked the door while Randall proceeded to bang and kick on the door while threatening to burn the neighbour’s house down.

When the neighbour later opened their door, Randall told his father words to the effect of: “I did it, I poured gasoline and lit your house on fire.”

The neighbour went outside and began trying to put out the fire. When Randall saw his neighbour’s panic, he “seemed to realize what he had done and became very upset” and joined efforts to put out the fire. He also became very distraught and expressed concern that his young cousin may be inside the home.

No one knew that Clara, who did not live in the home, was inside at the time.

That night, RCMP arrested Randall for arson. While putting him in handcuffs, officers saw that Randall’s hands were singed and he had soot and black debris on his face and hands.

At the RCMP detachment, Randall was very emotional. When he was taken to the health centre for medical treatment, he kept asking if his father and nephew were OK.

Clara’s sister reported her missing on December 16.

Four days later, during a forensic investigation by the fire marshal, Clara was found deceased. An autopsy determined she had been killed by the fire and she showed signs of smoke inhalation.

‘A really tough case’

Crown prosecutor Morgan Fane told Cabin Radio that during sentencing in Fort McPherson, while Randall did not speak, he was crying and “hugely moved by everything.”

In interviews with the author of a pre-sentencing report, Randall said he wished he could go back and make things right. He said the incident could have been avoided if he did not drink alcohol.

He said he wants to live a better, sober life for his nephews. He has completed a substance abuse management program while incarcerated at Yellowknife’s North Slave Correctional Complex.

The Crown had argued that Randall should be sentenced to four years for the manslaughter charge, while the defence had sought a sentence of three and a half years.

Fane said while Justice Shannon Smallwood expressed that a sentence in the range of five to six years would be appropriate, she ultimately agreed with the Crown.

“It was a difficult decision for the court to make,” he said.

“It’s very different in kind than a lot of the manslaughters we see in this jurisdiction.”

Fane said the Crown’s proposed sentence was based on that fact that Randall was immediately upset with what he had done, took efforts to fight the fire, and expressed concern for his nephew and father.

Randall has one previous criminal conviction for driving while impaired by alcohol.

In a pre-sentencing report, many community members and Randall’s family members and friends described him as a hard worker and “a really good kid.” Several people said they would support Randall when he returns to Fort McPherson.

“A lot of folks in the community came by to want to talk about how smart he was, how smart his sister was, their mother …. As well as how hard-working Randall was in the community, helping Elders,” Fane said.

“Of course, on the other hand, this young woman has lost her life. He’s devastated, he lost his sister. So a really tough case.”