Indigenous killer’s race considered in appeal court sentence reduction

An Indigenous man from Ontario, Kenneth Morrison, has had his first-degree murder conviction reduced to manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the 2018 killing of disabled drug dealer Shaun Yorke during a home invasion. The Ontario Court of Appeal considered Morrison’s Indigenous status, his guilty plea, and his minimal criminal record as mitigating factors. Morrison’s original life sentence was overturned due to the court’s finding that he did not have the required intent to kill.

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