Michael Gero has been sentenced to one more day in jail and three years' probation, after pleading guilty to weapons charges.
That sentence comes one day after the Crown stayed a second-degree murder charge against Gero in the 2013 death of his girlfriend, Sherri Thomas.
"We will never know what really happened the morning of Nov. 19, 2013," said Quebec Superior Court Justice Hélène Di Salvo in her sentencing decision Wednesday afternoon.
Nov. 19, 2013 is the date that Thomas, who was 19, was found with a gunshot wound to her head, bleeding profusely, in the apartment she shared with Gero. She died in hospital.
'Very, very, very rare' stay of murder charge
The jury in the Gero case, which had been expecting to deliberate on the murder charge this week, was instead dismissed Tuesday, after Crown prosecutor Jacques Dagenais made a rare decision to request that charge be stayed.
"It's very, very, very rare that this happens," Quebec Superior Court Justice Hélène Di Salvo said before releasing the jury.
The move came as a shock to many, including Thomas's family.
Dagenais concluded he had no solid evidence that Gero pulled the trigger on the gun that killed Thomas and that Gero's testimony that she shot herself while he was in the shower was plausible.
Gero's defence lawyer and Dagenais recommended that Gero be sentenced to three years for possession of a prohibited weapon and an additional year for possession of a firearm he'd been ordered not to own.
Gero has already served 39 months in jail, which is the equivalent of 58.5 months, or nearly five years, because of the formula applied to time served before a case goes to trial.
Since he has already served more than four years, the Crown and defence recommended that he serve a single, symbolic extra day before being put on two years' probation.
Lifetime ban on weapons possession
After considering that joint sentencing recommendation, Di Salvo sentenced Gero Wednesday to one more day in detention and increased the probationary period to three years.
Among his conditions, Gero must keep the peace and be on good behaviour.
He is also prohibited from possessing firearms and other weapons, including crossbows, for the rest of his life.
Turning his life around
While making his sentencing recommendation Tuesday, Dagenais acknowledged Gero had a "turbulent life" and cited his lengthy criminal record, including robbery and drug-trafficking convictions.
Dagenais pointed out that Gero's mother had put him in foster care for a period during his childhood, as well.
But the Crown noted that leading up to Sherri Thomas's death, Gero seemed to be turning his life around.
He was taking classes to complete his high school education, and he was caring financially and emotionally for a daughter he had with another woman.
