SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A 20-year-old man will be sentenced today for a number of crimes in connection to a night of joyriding that ended in a teenage girl's death last summer.

Akeeshoo Papatsie has been awaiting sentencing since Jan. 5 when he pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including for possession of stolen property and dangerous driving.

His charges stem back to the early morning hours of July 23, 2009 when 17-year-old Ashley McClean was killed after crashing a stolen pick-up truck on Old Airport Road in In a victim's impact statement from Ashley McClean's mother, Colleen McClean - read aloud in Territorial Court on Feb. 23 by Crown prosecutor John MacFarlane - she said Papatsie ,as the only adult present, bore responsibility for her daughter's death even though he wasn't present when she crashed the truck, which was taken earlier in the evening by Papatsie, McClean, and a 15-year-old boy.

"He put my daughter in such a dangerous risk that resulted in her death ... I will never forget or forgive him as long as I live," she wrote.

The mother wept silently in court as MacFarlane continued with her statement, which painted a picture of depression, guilt, and shock since her daughter's death.

"I feel I have no purpose in life anymore - no reason to live, even though I have other children," read her statement. The mother wrote she doesn't feel she has the right to be alive because she couldn't protect her daughter.

On the evening of July 22, after drinking "a bottle of alcohol," Papatsie met up with Ashley and a 15-year-old boy. They drank more alcohol together and smoked some marijuana. The group arrived at the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool at around 9:30 p.m., stole a truck owned by the City of Yellowknife, and took it out onto Highway 4 with Papatsie behind the wheel.

Papatsie drove at speeds upwards of 130 km/h before hitting a concrete barrier near Giant Mine.

Ashley and the teenage boy got out of the truck, afraid of Papatsie's reckless driving.

But the group soon got back into the vehicle, and headed back into the city.

At some point, Papatsie and the boy exited the vehicle, and Ashley McClean took the wheel. She was found early the next morning, dead at the scene on Old Airport Road near the Bottle Shop recycling depot on Old Airport Road where the vehicle rolled and crashed.

While acknowledging that Papatsie was not responsible for the death of Ashley, MacFarlane noted that Papatsie was the adult of the group, and was very involved in the events that led up to the accident.

MacFarlane said Papatsie does not believe he has a problem with drugs and alcohol, even though he has "been in jail for several months and a young girl is dead."

Aside from his guilty pleas to dangerous driving and possession of stolen property for the city vehicle, Papatsie also pleaded guilty to five counts of failure to appear in court, one count of theft under $5,000, a drug possession charge, and another for possession of stolen property - a chequebook taken from the Explorer Hotel last April.

Tracy Bock, his defence lawyer, said Papatsie has had a troubled life - one without structure and guidance at home, as he was taken from his parents by social services at a young age due to their alcoholism.

These are Papatsie's first offences, for which he expressed remorse, said Bock - though Bock said Papatsie is very reticent to express his emotions.

Bock said Papatsie has had no contact with his family since his first troubles with the law last April, and does not know how to get in touch with them as they have moved away from Yellowknife.

Bock said Papatsie's lack of any family support has accelerated his drinking, and consequently, his irresponsible behaviour. MacFarlane recommended a sentence of 10 to 14 months.

Judge Christine Gagnon adjourned court until 1:30 p.m. on Friday in order to review the evidence before she hands down her sentence.