A man who shot and stabbed another man in the midst of a drug deal is looking at some major time behind bars.
Just how long James Shawn Halleran will be in jail will be decided by a judge next month.
During Halleran’s sentencing hearing at provincial court in St. John’s Thursday, the Crown requested that the 22-year-old get an eight-year prison term.
Halleran’s lawyer suggested a jail sentence of four to five years.
Judge Lori Marshall will make her final determination Jan. 9.
Halleran and a 17-year-old were arrested following an incident that happened in the afternoon of Oct. 26, 2011.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Halleran and the teen were at
231A Southside Rd. — where Halleran’s uncle lived — to meet a drug dealer, who was to sell them five pounds of marijuana.
When the dealer showed up, the teen had a small, cardboard box on the table, which he said contained $14,500. A disagreement arose as to the price of the marijuana. The teen said, “Don’t worry. You’re not getting any money'
Halleran, who had not been in the room, suddenly appeared, masked and holding a .22-calibre rifle. The drug dealer quickly tried to bag his marijuana, but Halleran hit him in the head with the gun. That sparked a fracas that saw the teen order Halleran to shoot the 40-year-old man. As all three were struggling, Halleran fired the gun and hit the man in the leg.
As Halleran was trying to reload the gun, the teen and the man were struggling on the floor. The teen asked Halleran to shoot the man again.
The man managed to grab the gun. It was then Halleran and the teen stabbed the man several times.
Halleran went back into the back room and came out with another long gun. He wasn’t wearing a mask this time.
The man — who was rescued by his two friends who rushed into the house — was admitted to hospital in critical condition with multiple stab wounds to his upper torso and a gunshot wound to his left leg.
He needed surgery to repair an aortic bleed caused by the stabbing. The gunshot caused a fracture to one of the man’s leg bones. He was discharged from hospital in November 2011.
Halleran was arrested Nov. 3, 2011, and was originally denied bail. He applied for a bail review and was eventually released.
However, he was picked up by police again Sept.18 of this year and charged with breaching curfew conditions of his recognizance. He’s been in jail ever since.
A few months ago, he pleaded guilty to three charges — aggravated assault, discharging a weapon with intent and breach of probation.
Crown prosecutor Lisa Stead said the incident was serious enough to warrant an eight-year sentence.
She pointed out that the men had planned the robbery — Halleran hid in the back room, while the teen lured the man inside the house.
Stead also noted that a weapons — a gun and knives — were also used in carrying out the crime.
Defence lawyer Randy Piercey said his client, who has a short criminal record, is extremely remorseful about what he did.
He said Halleran had a serious drug addiction at the time, especially to Percocet. According to the pre-sentence report, Halleran, who was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, was also suffering from depression.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named due to a court ban, was also arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
He was sentenced in February to 16 months in a youth detention centre after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and armed robbery.
The teen was given three months’ credit for the time he had spent in pre-trial custody, leaving 13 months on his term. He will then spend six months under community supervision.
rgillingham@thetelegram.com
Twitter: @TelyCourt
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
