Judge calls Tori Stafford killer
a 'monster' at sentencing
WARNING: This story contains disturbing details
Michael Rafferty was convicted of first-degree murder, sexual
assault causing bodily harm and kidnapping in the death of Victoria (Tori) Stafford.
(Canadian Press)
Michael Rafferty has been sentenced to life in prison with no
possibility of parole for 25 years, despite his continued claim that he did not
commit crimes against Victoria (Tori) Stafford.
At a sentencing hearing held at the courthouse in London, Ont., Tuesday,
Rafferty was given the opportunity to speak and he said, "I firmly stand
behind not guilty."
He admitted he played a role in the disappearance of Tori, who was last
seen alive outside her elementary school in Woodstock, Ont., on April 8, 2009,
but said he's not guilty of murder, kidnapping, or sexual assault, even though
a jury found him guilty on all of those charges on Friday. He offered to meet
with Tori's mother, Tara McDonald, to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle
so she would know the whole story. But outside the courthouse, McDonald told
reporters she wasn't interested in the offer.
In sentencing the 31-year-old, Justice Thomas Heeney said Rafferty
committed an act "of pure evil" and added there is no doubt the jury
got it right.
"Most tragically of all you have snuffed out the life of a little
girl ... And for what? So you could fulfil your twisted and deviant desire to
have sex with a child. You sir are a monster," the judge said.
Rafferty also receives 10 years each for kidnapping and sexual assault
causing bodily harm, to be served concurrently with the sentence for
first-degree murder.
Heeney also prohibited him from owning weapons, and said his name will
be added to the national sex offender registry and he must provide a DNA
sample. Rafferty will be eligible for parole on May 19, 2034.
A number of Tori's relatives spoke at the hearing about the loss they
felt after the 2009 slaying.
Her mother said she has been through a lifetime of pain in the past
three years. She said her life, and the lives of her family, were destroyed the
day Tori disappeared.
"But Victoria wouldn't want us to be miserable forever, so for her
we will pick up the pieces and put together our lives as best as we can,"
McDonald said. "No amount of time or tears will ever bring her back to
me."
McDonald said her 14-year-old son, Daryn, who usually walked his younger
sister home from school, still feels guilty about not doing so on April 8,
2009, the day Tori went missing while walking home from school. McDonald also
said she still has to deal with whispers from people who think she had
something to do with her daughter's disappearance.
She said she will never get a chance to see Tori at her graduation, prom
or wedding. It has all been replaced by anniversaries — the day she went
missing, the day she was found.
Other family members who spoke at Rafferty's sentencing hearing included
aunts and uncles and two grandmothers. Rodney Stafford, Tori's father, told the
hearing there had been a great impact, especially on younger members of the
family after the Grade 3 student was abducted and remained missing for about
three months until her body was found in Mount Forest, 100 kilometres north of
Woodstock.
Rodney Stafford told the hearing there are no words to express his
feelings and that he often wants to explode with rage. Cheers could be heard in
the courthouse when he referred to the "piece of shit" who stole
Tori.
Tears from killer
When a statement written by Tori's brother Daryn was read out, Rafferty
appeared to get emotional and began to cry, occasionally wiping tears from his
eyes.
Michael Rafferty's trial in London, Ont., began on March 5.(CanadianPress)
Daryn wrote that he feels alone and has had to go to counselling. He
said he has low self-esteem and anxiety. He cannot walk alone without
constantly looking behind him.
He described the last time he saw Tori, on the day she disappeared, and
said everything seemed normal.
"Now I am lost without her, trying to move on without my baby
sister and best friend," he wrote. "No hugs, no see you later, no
goodbyes, just a part of my heart ripped out … like the world is playing a sick
trick on me but it's not. This is my reality."
Throughout Rafferty's trial, which began March 5 and ended with a guilty
verdict Friday evening, people jockeyed to get a seat in the courtroom, and
Tuesday morning was no different. People lined up early to try to get a seat
inside the courtroom or in the overflow room.
Rafferty was found guilty on all three charges he faced following the
first full day of deliberations: first-degree murder, sexual assault causing
bodily harm and kidnapping.
A conviction of first-degree murder carries a penalty of life in prison
without the possibility of parole for 25 years.
Terri-Lynne McClintic, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder two
years ago, testified in March that she lured Tori to Rafferty’s car on his
orders. The pair then took the girl first to Guelph and later to Mount Forest.
McClintic was one of more than a dozen women Rafferty dated in the
spring of 2009, several at the same time.
McClintic told jurors Rafferty repeatedly raped the girl before,
overcome with rage, she bludgeoned the young girl to death with a hammer. The
21-year-old had previously said Rafferty killed Tori.
Tori's partially clothed remains were found more than three months later
in a field outside of Mount Forest, inside garbage bags and covered with
several large stones.
Defence lawyer Dirk Derstine told the media assembled outside the
courthouse after a verdict had been reached that a decision on whether to
appeal is in Rafferty's hands and will be made in "due course."
Rafferty downloaded child porn
Throughout the trial, jurors were unaware that Rafferty had searched for
and downloaded child pornography to his computer, after Heeney ruled the
evidence inadmissible because police obtained the information without a proper
warrant.
They were also unaware he had downloaded a movie, Gardens of the Night, which details the abduction and
sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl.
Jurors began their deliberation Thursday and returned a verdict a little
more than 24 hours later. Over the course of the lengthy and often emotional
trial, the 12-member jury heard from 62 witnesses and viewed almost 200
exhibits.
Rafferty did not testify during his trial and the only time jurors heard
him speak at length was through a police audiotape of an interview recorded in
May 2009.
Judge calls Tori Stafford killer
a 'monster' at sentencing
(Préci)
Michael
Rafferty has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for
25 years, despite his continued claim that he did not commit crimes against
Victoria (Tori) Stafford.
At a
sentencing hearing held at the courthouse in London, Ont., Tuesday, Rafferty
was given the opportunity to speak and he said, "I firmly stand behind not
guilty."
He admitted he
played a role in the disappearance of Tori, who was last seen alive outside her
elementary school in Woodstock, Ont., on April 8, 2009, but said he's not
guilty of murder, kidnapping, or sexual assault, even though a jury found him
guilty on all of those charges on Friday. He offered to meet with Tori's
mother, Tara McDonald, to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle so she would
know the whole story. But outside the courthouse, McDonald told reporters she
wasn't interested in the offer.
McDonald said
her 14-year-old son, Daryn, who usually walked his younger sister home from
school, still feels guilty about not doing so on April 8, 2009, the day Tori
went missing while walking home from school. McDonald also said she still has
to deal with whispers from people who think she had something to do with her
daughter's disappearance.
Rodney
Stafford told the hearing there are no words to express his feelings and that
he often wants to explode with rage. Cheers could be heard in the courthouse
when he referred to the "piece of shit" who stole Tori.
Daryn wrote that he feels alone
and has had to go to counselling. He said he has low self-esteem and anxiety.
He cannot walk alone without constantly looking behind him.
He described the last time he
saw Tori, on the day she disappeared, and said everything seemed normal.
"Now I am lost without
her, trying to move on without my baby sister and best friend," he wrote.
"No hugs, no see you later, no goodbyes, just a part of my heart ripped
out … like the world is playing a sick trick on me but it's not. This is my
reality."
3 Way
Description.
When I found this particular story I wanted to see more and I
check in internet, YouTube, and the newspaper but all tree resources had the
same idea and information about the event.
When I finish I started
to wonder myself why all the different resources have almost the same
information and I come to a conclusion that different people like to get
informed in different ways but all people are informed about the same issue. In
the internet are more people online and more people are getting informed. In YouTube
is pretty much like the news because the video can be the same video that just
played in TV and in the newspapers are les people reading them because the majority
of the people like the internet better.
