Danielle Chamakese addressed members of Daniel Carter’s family from the prisoner’s box inside the Prince Albert Court of Queen’s Bench Tuesday.
She cried as she repeatedly told the family how sorry she was for striking Carter, 21, with her car outside a Prince Albert bar in 2010.
Chamakese was found guilty last September of dangerous driving causing death and failure to remain at the scene of an accident. She was sentenced Tuesday to 26 months in a federal penitentiary.
The 22-year-old mother told Carter’s family and friends she now walks with her head hung low and that she no longer feels like a role model. She said she truly cares about what happened to their son and that she hopes they can one day forgive her.
Carter’s mother told reporters it will be tough to forgive Chamakese.
"I’m sure that we will forgive, but the pain is still there. The loss is still there and I don’t think she'll ever have a sense of what we are truly going through and what we will feel for the rest of our lives,” said Karen Anthony-Burns, the victim’s mother.
Chamakese’s sentence lands between the 30 months the crown had requested and the 24 months the defence suggested. Justice R.S. Smith said Chamakese is a low risk to reoffend, but he prohibited her from driving for one year after she is released.
The judge recommended Chamakese serve her sentence at Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge in Maple Creek, Sask.
The institution is restricted to female aboriginal offenders and offers an open environment, comparable to a minimum-security facility.
