IQALUIT - Mark King Jeffrey was sentenced on Friday to a minimum of 14 years in prison for the 2002 murder of a 13 year-old girl in Iqaluit.

Jennifer Naglingniq, 13, was stabbed to death with a steak knife in her Iqaluit home on Dec. 6, 2002.

Justice Earl Johnston of the Nunavut Court of Justice handed down the mandatory life sentence for second-degree murder, with eligibility for parole after serving 14 years. Jeffrey pleaded guilty on April 23.

"This case has to be one of the most savage murders in the history of the NWT and Nunavut," said Johnston.

Jennifer Naglingniq, 13, was stabbed to death with a steak knife in her Iqaluit home on Dec. 6, 2002.

The judge read from her mother Nicotye Naglingniq's victim impact statement during the sentencing.

"She was a part of my soul and I miss her terribly. Two people died that night, me and my baby," wrote the victim's mother.

The judge noted that Nicotye Naglingniq has been diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of viewing the murder scene.

"This sentence is not a reflection of the value of this human life," Johnson told the court.

Jeffrey was arrested on March 23, 2003, and will be eligible for parole on March 23, 2017. He was credited for time spent in custody prior to his guilty plea.

Crown prosecutors had asked that Jeffrey serve a minimum of 15 years before being eligible for parole. Defence lawyers had argued for a minimum of 10 years.

"This case has to be one of the most brutal and shocking in this territory," said Johnston when outlining the factors he used to make his decision. He mentioned the 31 stab wounds, the "high degree of intent," and attempts by Jeffrey to shift the blame for the murder onto the mother of the victim as things he considered.

The judge also described the conditions of Jeffrey's upbringing as a mitigating factor. According to defence submissions, Jeffrey was a victim of sexual assault, his father died of AIDS when Jeffrey was eight-years-old and he dropped out of school after being falsely charged with burning down the school principal's house.

Jeffrey also had a $1,600 a week crack cocaine problem, and was high on crack when he killed Naglingniq.

Security was high at the Court of Justice for Jeffrey's appearance. There were two uniformed RCMP officers and two sheriffs in attendance. One sheriff was stationed outside the court room, the second just inside the door.

Jeffrey sat still during the sentencing, wearing a watch and a blue hooded sweatshirt. According to the court, he will be sent to the Ottawa-Carleton Correctional Facility in Ontario.