Brandon Phillips was back in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s for a brief moment Friday morning, where he learned he will be sentenced on Feb. 22 for second-degree murder.
Phillips’ case was called simply to set a date for the sentencing.
Phillips, 29, was convicted a week ago of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 63-year-old Larry Wellman at the Captain’s Quarters hotel in St. John’s on Oct. 3, 2015. Phillips entered the hotel bar wearing a mask and armed with a loaded, sawed-off shotgun. After demanding money from the bartender, he turned his attention to Wellman, who had attempted to intervene in the robbery, asking Phillips why he was pointing a gun at a woman.
Wellman was a patron of the bar with his wife that night.
After an altercation in which Phillips threatened to shoot Wellman, Wellman was shot in the groin and his femoral artery was hit. Wellman, a retired firefighter, project manager, father and grandfather who was visiting St. John’s from Goose Bay, died hours later in hospital.
A second-degree murder conviction carries a life sentence, but the amount of time in custody before a person is eligible for parole can vary from 10 to 25 years. Justice Valerie Marshall will determine how long Phillips must spend behind bars before he is eligible for parole when he’s sentenced.
Both Wellman’s wife and Phillips’ mother were in the courtroom Friday to hear the sentencing date.
-This story has been edited for clarity-
