SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A Yellowknife woman stood only a few metres away from a man being sentenced for killing her beloved pet and read an emotional statement to a packed territorial courthouse on Monday describing how the incident has affected her life.

Lloyd Thrasher is led out of the Yellowknife Courthouse in handcuffs during a court appearance on April 20, 2011

"He was my family. I'm not actually the victim here. I didn't go through what he went through," said Vanessa Baron, referring to Garlic, the one-and-a-half year old Chinese Pug killed last January by Lloyd Thrasher.

"He just deserved happiness. I have this really sick feeling his last thoughts were that I betrayed him because I left him alone."

That afternoon Judge Robert Gorin sentenced Thrasher, 23, to eight months in jail for killing Garlic, which he took from Baron's unlocked car parked outside of Twist Resto Lounge on 50 Street on Jan. 27.

Baron went to the bar at around 10:30 p.m. to congratulate a friend on a recent engagement, and after coming back out a half hour later, she found the car had been broken into and the dog was missing.

Thrasher was arrested by the Yellowknife RCMP at 12:08 a.m. in an area between 46 and 47 Street near 50 Avenue. He had blood on his jacket, gloves and shoes, along with Garlic's dog hair on the inside of his jacket and on his backpack. The police found Garlic lying in a pool of blood in a dumpster about 30 metres from where Thrasher was arrested. Footprints found at the dumpster matched Thrasher's footwear, said Praught.

Garlic died from a collapsed lung from a blow to the chest and stab wounds to the neck, chest, rectum and anus, said Praught. It wasn't revealed in court what Garlic was stabbed with, nor was it revealed why Thrasher killed the dog.

Thrasher was also sentenced to 45 days in jail after being caught in possession of a stolen van in Behchoko on Nov. 27, 2010, 30 days for being in possession of a stolen Sanyo cell phone, and 45 days for being in possession of a stolen DVD collection of the cartoon Family Guy.

Gorin credited Thrasher with four months in jail already served in pre-sentence custody since his Jan. 28 arrest, meaning Thrasher has eight months left on his sentence. At the request of Crown prosecutor Duane Praught, Gorin banned Thrasher from owning or residing with an animal for a period of 10 years.

Praught requested a sentence in the range of 30-45 days for each count of possession of stolen property, six to eight months for killing Garlic and 18-24 months probation. Gorin reminded Praught he could have requested up to 18 months for killing Garlic and a lifetime ban on owning animals.

Thrasher's lawyer Jay Bran said media attention has caused his client to be placed in segregation at the North Slave Correctional Centre because of harassment from other inmates. He requested two months in jail for possession of the van, one month each on the other two possession of stolen property counts and three to four months for killing Garlic.

After the sentencing, Baron told Yellowknifer she had trouble reading her statement because of the tears in her eyes. She also said she appreciated that Gorin referred to her dog by his name Garlic and not as an 'it.' She admitted she still feels guilty about leaving Garlic alone in the car and has nightmares about Garlic's final moments before his death, but said she knows his death isn't her fault and that things are getting better.

She also wonders how the community will respond to Thrasher once he's released from jail.

"It's just a sad story all around. His life is a sad story, Garlic's life is a sad story, and a few months in jail isn't going to solve anything."

Thrasher, who pleaded guilty to the charges on March 1, did not apologize to anyone for his crimes when given the chance to speak to the court on Monday. Instead, he read from a seven-page written statement telling the court how he grew up loving and caring for animals.

"I've done a lot for animals in my life," he said. "I'm not a murderer. I'm not going to kill a baby or kill somebody's wife," said Thrasher.

Gorin recounted Thrasher's upbringing in a violent home and his recent history as a homeless person. But the judge also had harsh words for Thrasher - criticizing his criminal record with 20 prior convictions and calling him someone with a "grandiosity" and an "unrealistically inflated" view of himself.

Gorin also sentenced Thrasher to one year of probation after his release from jail in which he is to keep the peace, be of good behaviour and have no contact with Baron. He also ordered Thrasher to pay a $200 victims of crime surcharge.

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