An Ontario judge sentenced a man convicted of dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm to two years of house arrest after he killed a 12-year-old girl and left her mother requiring around-the-clock care.
Justice Gethin Edward rejected the Crown’s request for a four-year penitentiary sentence for 31-year-old Darris James Wilson.
Wilson was driving approximately 90 km/h in a 50 km/h zone when his Dodge Ram crossed the centre line and struck a Mitsubishi head-on near Oakland, Ont., in February 2022. Investigators found no evidence that Wilson braked before the collision.
The crash killed Sierra Beverly, who was being driven to a sleepover, and caused her mother, Naomi Beverly, multiple fractures and an acquired brain injury. Beverly now requires 24-hour supervision.
Police found open and unopened beer cans around Wilson’s seat, although responding officers said they observed no signs of impairment.
Edward acknowledged more than a dozen victim impact statements describing the family’s grief but placed significant weight on Wilson’s Indigenous background and the effects of colonialism on his connection to Six Nations culture.
The judge heard from a sentencing circle of Wilson’s relatives and supporters and credited his efforts to reconnect with traditional practices following the crash.
Edward said sending Wilson to prison would once again allow the state to take away the culture that had been “systematically” taken from his family by the Canadian government.
“I’m left with this simple refrain: ‘If not now, when. If not this case, what case?’” Edward said. “Now, and this case.”
Wilson will serve two years of house arrest at a Brant County residence while wearing a GPS ankle monitor. He may leave for work, school, church and medical appointments. He is prohibited from driving, consuming alcohol or using non-prescription drugs.
Sierra’s parents called the sentence deeply disappointing and said it felt inadequate after four-and-a-half years of waiting for justice.
Hellbound and Down 