Convicted murderer wins appeal for early parole eligibility

Convicted killer Sean Lenworth Spence granted chance at early parole in Oro-Medonte murder case.

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A convicted murderer serving a life sentence for ordering the execution of a man in Oro-Medonte in 2007 has earned early parole eligibility following a successful Faint Hope Clause appeal.

Sean Lenworth Spence, 46, can now apply for parole five years earlier than the mandatory 25-year period, the ruling from a jury of his peers in a Barrie, Ont. courtroom.

Spence was convicted of first-degree murder in September 2011 for ordering Andrew Turner to the pull the trigger that killed 21-year-old Jonathan Chambers, whose body was found along the 4th Line in Oro-Medonte on March 7, 2007, following a drug deal gone wrong.

The convicted murderer, who was arrested in 2008 after fleeing to Boston, was eligible for the now-defunct Faint Hope Clause appeal - which gave him a final shot at applying for early parole after serving at least 15 years of his life sentence. The clause now only applies for crimes committed before 2012.

The Barrie jury’s ruling means Spence can now apply for parole in three years’ time. The proceedings took place over two weeks in front of 12 jurors who all agreed with Spence and his lawyer Breana Vandebeek that he appears to be a changed man and model inmate worthy of applying for early parole after a total of 20 years. The jury heard testimony from prison guards and officials who argued Spence had earned a chance at earlier freedom.

“He’s very happy and he’s done a lot of great work within the institution,” said Vandebeek. “He’s hoping that this is the first step that the jury has found in his favour and that he’s hoping to get moved to a minimum institution and start working to progress to eventually when he’s released.”

The Jamaican citizen, the court heard, killed Chambers over about $52,000 lost during a drug deal involving counterfeit cash. Chambers was taken from Brampton, beaten, then driven up to Oro-Medonte, where he was shot five times, including once in the head, and left on the side of the road. Spence was considered the mastermind of the murder.

Turner was sentenced in 2011 to five years in prison. He and others took plea deals in the case. Spence went to trial and was convicted of the most serious crime under the Criminal Code of Canada.

If granted parole, Spence faces deportation to Jamaica.

After testifying against Spence earlier in the proceedings, Chambers’ family witnessed the jury’s verdict online.

The earliest Spence can now apply for parole is September 2, 2028.