Yellowknife (Dec 05/03) - After being convicted of second-degree murder, Ronald Sayers was sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for 14 years, at the Inuvik Courthouse Friday.

His accomplice, Shelly Elanik, was found guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison.

The pair was charged in the Oct. 17, 2001 killing of Mackenzie Hotel night clerk Keith Blair.

In passing sentence, Justice Virginia Schuler said that while Sayers had shown snippets of remorse for his actions, these were overwhelmed by his efforts to avoid responsibility.

Justice Schuler called the tactics of both defence lawyers "cut throat" as Elanik's and Sayers' testimony attempted to pin the murder on the other. While Schuler said Sayers' testimony was completely unreliable, she did note that there were elements of truth in Elanik's version of events.

What is known is that in the early hours of Oct. 17, 2001, Sayers and Elanik entered the Mackenzie Hotel with the intent to commit robbery. During the robbery that netted the pair $2,150, Blair was held at knife-point. It was at this point Sayers asked Elanik to obtain a rock from outside the hotel.

Judge didn't believe defence

Sayers testified it was Elanik who used the 19 lb rock to kill Blair. However, during Elanik's testimony, she said that Sayers had taken the rock from her and that she did not actually witness the murder.

Justice Schuler said that while she did not believe that Elanik's role in the murder was simply obtaining the rock, she accepted that it was Sayers, not Elanik, who dealt the fatal blow.

However, what Justice Schuler would not accept was Elanik's battered woman defence. During the trial, Elanik's lawyer John Bayly had said that his client suffered two years of abuse at the hands of Sayers. At the time of the crime, Bayly argued, Elanik was under duress and therefore not responsible for her actions. Before sentencing Elanik to five years in prison, Justice Schuler said she hoped that Elanik would spend time thinking of the devastation she has caused Blair's family.

While the Crown was seeking 10-12 years, Elanik's lawyer had asked for a conditional sentence.