Latest news with #LeviBrown
Toronto Sun
6 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Mom's 'long journey' ends as woman sentenced for fatally shooting son
A London mother said she found comfort after a woman was sentenced for the bizarre shooting of her adult son whose body was put in a bin Michele Brown, mother of Levi Brown, was disappointed at the ultimate time-served sentence given to Cheyanne Metatawabin. (Jane Sims/The London Free Press) It took years for Levi Brown's mother to complete the long journey through the criminal justice system as she sought justice for her only child. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But it was only during the final, plodding steps through court when Cheyanne Metatawabin took responsibility for shooting Brown, 36, that Michele Brown said she found a small bit of comfort. A month ago, Metatawabin, 31, an Indigenous woman with a devastating past, referred to herself as 'a monster' and offered an apology for firing the fatal shot inside a Baseline Road apartment two years ago. 'There was a part of me that felt a lot of empathy for her,' Michele Brown said Wednesday outside of the London courthouse about Metatawabin's words. Up until then, 'I've never been able to say her name. 'I felt like there was this broken little girl up there and I don't want this to happen again. I want her to get help. She's a part of our community.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Brown's mother had time to digest what Metatawabin said at a hearing on May 1 when Metatawabin pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, but guilty to criminal negligence causing death for her part in a bizarre case that ultimately led to the discovery of Brown's body disposed in a large recycling bin that had been tossed into a nearby creek. The joint sentencing proposal from the Crown and the defence was a time-served disposition – the equivalent of three years and 33 days – plus three years of probation. But at the last minute, Superior Court Justice Patricia Moore picked up on what could have been a significant sentencing error. The mandatory minimum sentence for criminal negligence causing death is four years and the proposed sentence would have been unfit. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Moore gave both sides time to refine their positions and Metatawabin, who had been in custody since her arrest, was granted bail. That led to Wednesday, when Metatawabin's guilty plea to criminal negligence was struck, and she entered a guilty plea to her original charge of manslaughter – based on the underlying offence of assault with a weapon – a conviction that has no mandatory minimum sentence. 'I plead guilty,' she said softly. Levi Brown, who died of a gunshot wound in March 2023. (Submitted photo) Moore agreed to the joint proposal and sentenced Metatawabin to time served and three years of probation that includes counselling. Everything else heard at the previous sentencing hearing was applied to the new proceeding, including the victim impact statements and Metatawabin's apology. The agreed statement of facts was also admitted along with a small addition regarding the firearm. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Assistant Crown attorney Vanessa Decker told Moore the gun was never located and tested and the Crown 'is not intending to allege it can prove it met the legal definition of a firearm.' Moore was able to review the facts surrounding the case in her judgment and sentencing decision. Metatawabin and Brown were in a relationship and were at Christian Williams' apartment on the morning of March 19, 2023, along with a woman. Brown had brought a weapon to the apartment and asked Williams to load it. When Williams struggled with the gun, Brown loaded it himself, took the safety off and then gave the gun to Metatawabin. He told her to shoot. Metatawabin did as she was asked and Brown was shot in the head. Metatawabin was shocked. 'Both the accused and the deceased had been using fentanyl,' Moore said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Williams testified at the preliminary hearing that 'he didn't believe that Ms. Metatawabin wanted to shoot Mr. Brown but was scared and Mr. Brown basically threatened her to pull the trigger.' Moore heard earlier that Brown may have still been breathing when Metatawabin, Williams and the woman left. Williams returned later and placed Brown's body, wrapped in a red sleeping bag, into a large blue recycling bin he had retrieved from the garbage room. He pushed the bin to the creek where it sat for six days before it was spotted by a cyclist. A year ago, Williams pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact of manslaughter and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years plus probation terms. Moore acknowledged the heartfelt victim impact statements that reflected the pain and loss experienced by the people closest to Brown and how he was his mother's 'most precious gift, her son, her whole heart, her best friend.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She also reviewed Metatawabin's criminal history that included convictions for violence and a Gladue Report – a specialized pre-sentence report for Indigenous offenders. The report prepared in 2017 outlined Metatawabin's troubled background. Her life has been marked by abuse, family displacement and disconnection. Her family has ties to the residential school system. There is a family history of addiction and physical, mental and physical abuse. Metatawabin was moved frequently. She has given birth to three children, but has no contact with some of them. She had a learning issues and little education. Metatawabin started smoking marijuana at 14, used cocaine at 17 and moved onto crystal meth. She may have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression and has shown signs of fetal alcohol syndrome disorder. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'There could be little doubt that Ms. Metatawabin has been impacted by her Indigenous heritage and background,' Moore said. 'Her history reveals an unfortunate common journey for many Indigenous women who end up before the criminal justice system.' Moore gave Metatawabin credit for her guilty plea and her expressed remorse. But aggravating was her criminal record and the loss experienced by Brown's family, 'including the fact that his mother spent six days looking for her son while he was in a bin in a creek. 'Ms. Metatawabin has a long road ahead of her to deal with her past trauma and substance abuse issues,' the judge said. Michele Brown said outside of court that her initial reaction to the joint position from the Crown and defence was disappointment. 'I have fought every day for Levi to see justice be served and I felt like it was a slap in the face, not just to me but to his memory, but to him and what happened to him.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. For the sentencing to be delayed over legal technicalities, 'seemed to go in stride with how bizarre this thing has been since the beginning.' Levi Brown's mother, Michele (centre), leaves the London courthouse with her nephew, Joe Parry and sister Samantha Parry after Cheyanne Metatawabin, 31, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. (Jane Sims/The London Free Press) Brown said she continues to grieve and wonder how the woman who shot her son and the others could leave him there, still breathing in the apartment, why the police weren't called, and that Metatawabin 'could have done the right thing. 'It's inhumane and she is a monster,' Michele Brown said. 'I don't care if she says that she says she is sorry or she knows how I feel. Her children were taken away because of her actions. My child was taken away because of her actions, not mine.' Brown's grief is endless. 'I miss everything. He was such a joy. He was my best friend. I miss his laugh. I miss his humour. I just miss his love.' But at the end of Wednesday's hearing, she said, 'I feel like I can really put Levi to rest like he deserves .It's been a long journey and it's time for a rest.' jsims@ Read More Canada Celebrity Columnists Canada Toronto & GTA
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
London woman sentenced in shooting death of friend
It's been a heartbreaking two years for Michelle Brown after her only son Levi was shot to death after a bizarre and tragic incident. After the woman responsible for her son's death was sentenced on Wednesday she said, 'It's been a long journey and now it's time for a rest.' The legal process may be over, but her sorrow over the loss of her son will never fade. 'He was such a joy. He was my best friend. I miss his laugh, I miss his humour', says Brown. 'I just miss his love.' Levi Brown was 36 years old when he was partying with friends, which included Cheyenne Metatawabin. They were all at an apartment off Baseline Road in south London in March of 2023. The group had been handling a loaded handgun when 31-year-old Metatawabin pointed the weapon at Brown and fired. After that the group then placed his limp body in a recycling container and pushed it down the street to a nearby creek. His mother searched for him for six days before a cyclist located the container by the water. Another person has already been dealt with before the courts in connection to disposing the body. The grieving mother still can't believe it saying, 'They just left him there knowing that he was still breathing and that someone didn't do anything, that someone didn't do the right thing.' In May, Metatawabin plead guilty to criminal negligence causing death, which has a mandatory minimum sentence of four years. However, after the Crown and defence agreed to a joint submission with her receiving a sentence of time served. Metatawabin then changed her guilty plea to manslaughter which has no mandatory minimum sentence. In the end, Justice Patricia Moore agreed with the Crown and the defence and sentenced Metatawabin to just over three years or time already served in custody along with three years probation. Michelle Brown says her sentence will be never ending saying, 'He (Levi) had a lot to live for and a lot to give and his life being taking so suddenly is something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life.'
Toronto Sun
02-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Woman thinks of herself as 'a monster' for fatally shooting boyfriend
Cheyanne Metatawabin, 31, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter but guilty to the lesser offence of criminal negligence causing death Levi Brown, who died of a gunshot wound in March 2023, is shown in a photo. (Submitted photo) Cheyanne Metatawabin said she fears she is 'a monster.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'Every day, I think of myself as a monster because I know what it's like to have your precious baby taken away. I'm sorry that that day had happened,' she said to the family of Levi Jordan Brown, who was her boyfriend at the time of his death on March 19, 2023. They hadn't known each other long but she said they 'really cared about each other' and she had promised him she wouldn't hurt him. She ended up firing the gun that killed him. 'I ended up breaking that promise and I'm sorry I took your loved one away,' she said. 'And I wish I could do anything, say anything, to bring that back, but I can't and all I can do is say I'm sorry and I'm hoping you forgive me one day. But I probably won't forgive myself.' Brown's grieving mother Michele and his extended family were in the courtroom. His mother listened intently and exhaled. On Thursday, Metatawabin, 31, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter but guilty to the lesser offence of criminal negligence causing death for the bizarre and tragic killing of the London man known as 'Irish.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But Brown, his death and more than two years of incarceration may have been Metatawabin's turning point. Her lawyer Geoff Snow told Superior Court Justice Patricia Brown at her guilty plea and sentencing hearing, that 'now something has happened where someone she loved is gone because of this.' Assistant Crown attorney Vanessa Decker read into the record an agreed statement of facts surrounding Brown's death. Brown, Metatawabin and a woman were inside Christian Williams' Baseline Road apartment that morning. The woman would later tell police she was only there to retrieve her belongings, but Brown told her she had to stay 'because this concerns you, too.' 'When (the woman) inquired what concerned her, Levi said, 'You'll see,' ' Decker said. Brown and Metatawabin spoke quietly to each other, and Brown was overheard asking Metatawabin if she recalled what they had talked about in the past. Brown produced a handgun from under the coffee table. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Williams testified at the preliminary hearing he saw Brown put the gun to his chin but ended up handing it to Metatawabin. Decker quoted what Williams said: 'He told her to hold the gun up to him and shoot him. He used the words, 'Now point it at me and pull the trigger.'' Then, Brown dropped in the chair. Neither Williams nor the woman believed Metatawabin shot Brown on purpose and didn't think he would be injured. It wasn't clear at the time the gun was real and loaded. The woman told police Brown had a wound to his forehead, but was still breathing when the three of them left the apartment. Williams returned later and retrieved a large blue recycling bin from the garage room. Surveillance cameras caught him pushing the container that contained Brown's body, wrapped in a red sleeping bag, to a nearby creek. Witnesses saw the bin in the creek during the next six days. It was a cyclist who ended up calling the police after noticing something wrapped in red material that looked like a body and a recycling container near it. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Michele Brown, left, the mother of Levi Brown, walks out of the London courthouse with her sister Samantha Parry after Cheyanne Metatawabin, charged with manslaughter in Levi Brown's 2023 shooting death, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in a London court on Thursday May 1, 2025. (Mike Hensen/The London Free Press) A year ago, Williams pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact of manslaughter and was sentenced to 2½ years. Metatawabin has been in custody since her arrest and with enhanced credit, has served three years and a month. Decker and Snow proposed a time-served sentence, with three years probation. However, at the end of the hearing, it was apparent the mandatory minimum for the conviction is four years. Moore wanted the lawyers to have more time to refine their position and won't make a decision until Friday morning. Metatawabin said jail has made her think hard about her life. 'I've learned that doing all the wrong things to numb you . . . will take you to dark, scary places, if not properly dealt with,' she told the court. Her comments couldn't take away the grief felt by Brown's family. His aunt, Samantha Parry, told Moore there is 'a massive hole in our lives without him.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Levi was alone, no last love to be spoken, no comfort from family, nothing, Cruelly dumped and forgotten,' she said. 'We will not forget. We carry on without Levi, holding loving times close to our heart. His name we say out loud. Levi.' The most poignant words came from his mother, who spoke about a loving son who tried his best for everyone. 'Death changes everything, time changes nothing. I didn't just lose Levi once. I lose him every time I open my eyes and realize he's gone and he's not coming back,' Michele Brown said through tears, telling the court she feels guilty as a mother for not protecting him. 'You didn't just kill Levi. You killed me, too. You took away my most precious gift: my son, my best friend, my whole heart…. He has given me the strength to stand here today and I can vividly hear him say 'It's OK, Mom. Stand tall. Be brave. Don't be afraid. She can't hurt us anymore.' 'I can't say your name,' she said to Metawatabin. 'You don't deserve this part of me, of Levi… I won't let you silence our voices like you silenced his.' Moore is expected to make a decision on sentence Friday. jsims@ Read More Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Ontario Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA
