Family describes pain after the death of Archie Paulette
Beverly Ann Villeneuve's sentencing hearing for manslaughter conviction to conclude in January
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Susan Chaffee remembers how her brother Archie Paulette taught her to set traps, hunt and survive on the land.
Susan Chaffee holds a photo of her brother Archie Paulette in front of the house where he was killed on June 8 last year. Paulette's common-law spouse Beverly Ann Villeneuve will be sentenced next month after pleading guilty to manslaughter. - NNSL file photo |
"He always taught me how to be strong no matter what," Chaffee said.
Her strength was tested Monday while sitting in a courtroom hearing details Paulette's death.
Paulette, 68, died on June 8 last year. He was found in his Ndilo home with a single stab wound to his back. His 48-year-old common-law wife, Beverly Ann Villeneuve, was charged with second degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in August. Manslaughter means a person didn't have intent to kill the victim.
Chaffee sobbed loudly as Crown prosecutor Alex Godfrey read the facts of the case to NWT Supreme Court Justice Louise Charbonneau at Villeneuve's sentencing hearing Monday. The sentencing was adjourned until Jan. 16 for a decision.
Family and friends had gathered June 8 for a barbecue at Paulette's house and both Villeneuve and Paulette had been drinking through the afternoon and evening, Godfrey said. Guests recalled "verbal altercations" between the two.
There was a history of domestic violence between the pair, the court heard. Only three days before his death, Villeneuve was ordered to stay away from him.
The guests left and sometime before 11 p.m., Paulette was stabbed.
Villeneuve went to a neighbour's home and said something had happened that required an ambulance. She said she didn't want to stick around and get blamed for what happened.
The neighbour went to Paulette's home, saw him on the couch but didn't see blood or a weapon. When he went back to his home, Villeneuve was still on his couch. He kicked her out and she returned to Paulette's house where she briefly tried to stop paramedics from reaching her spouse.
She was described as drunk and emotional.
"No, I'm OK. I'm sorry, I don't know why I do these things," Villeneuve told police when she was arrested.
Police found a knife in the kitchen with Paulette's DNA.
Villeneuve doesn't have a complete memory of that night, defence lawyer Peter Harte said.
She recalls the gathering earlier in the day, preparing potatoes, waking up and seeing Paulette on the couch, trying to wake him, and then being at the RCMP detachment.
Chaffee, in a victim impact statement read to the judge, recounted being told her brother was dead.
She stated she has been unable to eat or sleep properly since then. She feels depressed and angry and has taken to drinking to deal with her pain.
Susan Chaffee's ex-husband Frank Chaffee also provided a statement on the impact of the man's death.
"(Villeneuve) will never realize how much she wrecked our family in grief and loss," he stated.
Kerry Giroux, Paulette's niece who came from Hay River for the hearing, was almost kept from providing a victim impact statement Monday.
A court sheriff had cautioned her about making noise with her coat earlier in the morning as other cases were heard.
Later, while the judge wasn't in the courtroom, he approached her again.
"If you're going to sit there and glare at me, I'm going to consider you a threat," the sheriff told her. She was then ordered out of the courtroom after a short exchange of words.
A Crown witness co-ordinator intervened and appeared to calm the situation down outside the courtroom. Giroux was able to return a few minutes later.
Giroux remembered taking a photo with Paulette one of the last times she saw him. It's something she looks back on to remember happier times.
"I miss him and I love him," she said.
"He didn't deserve to go this way."
Villeneuve appeared to have her head slumped forward for the duration of the hearing.
Harte outlined Villeneuve's upbringing in Fort Resolution, suggesting she suffered trauma that contributed to her drinking, which began at age 12 when living in Hay River and continued throughout her life. She dropped out of school in Grade 8 and later ended up living on the streets in Montreal before being brought back north by her adoptive mother.
Harte said Villeneuve and Paulette had spent part of their time together living in Yellowknife homeless shelters. They worked odd jobs and collected empty bottles. The money earned was used to buy alcohol. They eventually started living in a house in Ndilo.
Harte and Godfrey jointly recommended Villeneuve receive five years in prison. The sentence could be reduced by up to 28 months if the judge gives her the typical credit for the 560 days served in custody awaiting the outcome of the case.
The sentencing was adjourned until Jan. 16 to allow time for the judge to consider her decision.
