Prosecutors say Robert Belbin should serve at least 12 years in prison before he’s eligible for parole for the stabbing death of his close friend, Seamus Secord.
Belbin, now 24, was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Supreme Court jury back in October.
Seamus Secord (Submitted)
He stabbed 22-year-old Seamus Second almost a dozen times during a brief fight over $30 grand worth of missing drugs, with the Crown arguing Belbin was livid for being blamed, while his lawyers said it was a case of self-defence “taken too far.”
The scene on Mayor Avenue on Febraury 7, 2023 (VOCM News)
The brief yet tragic encounter occurred almost three years ago, on Feb. 7th, 2023 where Mayor Avenue meets Newtown Road, and was witnessed by several people heading home during the rush hour.
One woman who stopped to help said that decision changed her life forever, as she held and tried to comfort Secord as his life slipped away.
“I’m grateful that he had someone with him,” she wrote in her victim impact statement during today’s sentencing hearing, “but hearing his fear and pain in those final moments will forever be etched in my life.”
Through a steady flow of tears, Secord’s distraught mother thanked her for staying with her son, but also spoke of her “persistent seething anger,” depression, insomnia and family turmoil caused by Belbin, who did offer an apology in court today.
The defence is seeking the minimum 10 years before parole eligibility.
Justice Trina Simms is scheduled to render her decision on February 27th.
