In the end, a judge decided Jessica Lynn Masyk’s sentence wouldn’t be measured in months, but in years.
Masyk, 26, was sentenced to one year in custody for the fatal hit and run of a Red Deer teen last May. Trystan Sorensen was killed after being struck by the car Masyk drove.
At the time, Sorensen was longboarding on Hwy 592 west of Penhold with a friend. Masyk had recently had her driver’s licence suspended.
Crown Prosecutor Ed Ring and defence counsel Kaitlyn Perrin, of Calgary, had suggested Masyk serve a sentence of six to eight months. But in his ruling on Tuesday, judge John Holmes said the sentence should be one year.
Masyk sat beside defence counsel. She wore a red sweater, black skirt and black tights with holes in them. She waived goodbye to her family as the sheriffs escorted her into custody.
Masyk pleaded guilty to driving while unauthorized, failing to remain at the scene of a collision and public mischief for filing a false police report on Aug. 19 in Red Deer provincial court.
Holmes said Trystan was an exceptional young man who overcame many obstacles in his life and had a loving family.
Amy Sorensen, Trystan’s mother, said she was relieved the lengthy matter had come to a conclusion. Trystan was killed on May 20, 2014.
Holmes called Masyk’s actions in the four days after the crash “callous in the extreme. She was only concerned with herself at the time.”
After the crash, Masyk exited her vehicle and looked around. She phoned a friend who told her to leave, which she did. Then she plotted with three acquaintances to cover up the crime. Two men drove her vehicle to a farmer’s field and set it on fire.
The day after the crash, Masyk reported her vehicle stolen to Innisfail RCMP and implicated a man.
Four days later, Masyk turned herself in to police.
“In my mind, there is a significant aggravating factor; the cover-up efforts extended beyond a period of panic,” said Holmes.
Sorensen pointed out the sentence was equivalent to what Steven Lagace got, one of the men who burned Masyk’s vehicle.
“Trystan doesn’t have to go out in the cold with us,” said Sorensen. She had brought Trystan’s ashes to each one of Masyk’s court appearances on these charges.
“I miss him a lot, I wish things were different. But they’re not. It’s coming to terms with that and finding a way to live around it.”
The ashes, a picture of Trystan and a petition asking for a minimum sentence for fatal hit and runs were placed on the bar between the gallery and the bench.
On top of the year-long sentence, Holmes fined Masyk $1,000 for driving while unauthorized and prohibited her from driving for two-and-a-half years. Holmes also ordered Masyk to provide a sample of her DNA to the national database.
mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com