KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A British Columbia woman has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years after admitting she directed her teenage lover to kill another boyfriend during her final year of high school.
Monica Sikorski was 17 when she arranged for a 16-year-old classmate to hide in a stand of trees with a rifle and shoot 22-year-old Tyler Myers once she had lured him into a schoolyard in the fall of 2008.
An agreed statement of facts outlines how Sikorski, now 25, was romantically involved with the two men at the time.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Sheri Donegan called the crime "inexplicable," saying Sikorski had privileges and opportunities many youths can only dream of and the crime's apparent lack of motive remains baffling.
Sikorski pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder on what was to be the first day of her month-long trial.
A publication ban protected Sikorski's name because of her youth, but it was lifted Monday after the court sentenced her as an adult.
Myers's mother was in the courtroom and said afterwards she was content with Sikorski's apology.
"What made an impression on me is Monica addressed me personally and expressed her heartfelt remorse," Barbara Myers said.
Myers said she hugged Sikorski's mother before the sentencing hearing and she expects the two to remain friendly.
"I have no hard feelings toward her family," Myers added. "They're good people. I feel bad for the family."
Both Sikorski and the gunman were arrested four years ago after an RCMP sting operation, which resulted in her confession to an undercover Mountie posing as a high-ranking gangster.
The judge said Sikorski would have to submit a DNA sample to a national criminal database but she would likely become a contributing member of society after serving her time behind bars.
The gunman is expected to be sentenced early in the new year after being found guilty of first-degree murder. The Crown is asking for an adult sentence, which would lift a publication ban and allow him to be identified.
