Sheldon Hibbs has been sentenced to seven years in prison for manslaughter in the beating death of another man more than three years ago in St. John’s.
The body of 68-year-old Michael King was found on a path that leads from Topsail Road to the Waterford Hospital on May 30th of 2021.
The two men were drinking together in the area, but Hibbs said he snapped and attacked King after he made a pass and came on to him.
Hibbs, 29, disposed of bloody clothes in the Waterford River and escaped to Alberta, where he later confessed while doing crack cocaine with friends.
He was arrested and flown back to St. John’s, where he first pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/900/files/2022/02/sheldon-hibbs-wanted-man.jpg)
(File photo of Sheldon Hibbs distributed by police prior to his arrest.)
Hibbs, with a history of mental illness but no criminal record, would later plead guilty to manslaughter.
The Crown said the crime was closer to murder than an accident, and the judge agreed, saying while Hibbs was provoked, he overreacted causing “multiple blunt force trauma” injuries.
Hibbs was given four years’ credit for time he’s already had to serve at HMP.
Counting total credit, he has about three years left in his sentence.