Judge sentences Iqaluit man for murdering common-law wife
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Apr 16/01) - Kootoo Korgak will spend at least the next 12 years of his life behind bars.
After a jury found the 32-year-old Iqaluit resident guilty of second-degree murder on April 9, Justice Mary Hetherington sentenced Korgak to life imprisonment.
Korgak strangled his common-law spouse Inusiq Akavak on Feb. 10 last year. After committing the crime, Korgak walked to the RCMP station in Iqaluit and confessed. A second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with eligibility for parole after 10 years.
The jury presiding over the trial recommended that period be extended and that Korgak not be eligible for parole for 15 years.
Crown counsel Brian Bell and defence lawyer Michael Chandler both argued against that recommendation.
Justice Mary Hetherington said Korgak would not be eligible for parole until he spent 12 years in prison.
She said she believed that Akavak's death was part of a pattern of spousal assault and she wanted to deter Korgak and other Nunavummiut from assaulting their spouses.
"I'm concerned with the frequent occurrence of spousal assault in Nunavut," said Hetherington.
"I'm painfully aware of the extent of this problem."
Hetherington also laid a firearms prohibition against the man.
That order began April 10 and will last for 10 years after Korgak's release from prison.
