The mother of an Orangeville man murdered and dismembered in a London hotel room calls the sentencing of her son's killer "bittersweet."
James McCullough, 22, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for the first degree murder of Alex Fraser. The 20-year-old was stabbed to death after arriving in London from Orangeville on September 8, 2013.
McCullough was additionally sentenced to four years for offering an indignity to a body, to run concurrent to his life sentence.
Prior to the sentencing, four victim impact statements were read aloud, while another six were submitted to the court.
Among the statements was one read on behalf of Alex's parents, Scott and Jackie Fraser. They described Alex as a "gentle soul with a great sense of humour and a smile that wouldn't quit." They said special occasions such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Alex's birthday are now extremely difficult.
"We didn't even get to say good-bye to Alex. We thought he was coming home," the statement read.
Elaine Southcott, Alex's aunt, began crying as she neared the end of her victim impact statement.
"We will remember him as the man he was. We will wonder about the man he would have been. We will miss him very much," Southcott said through tears.
Justice Renee Pomerance asked McCullough if he had anything to say before she delivered his sentence. He flatly replied, "no."
In her sentencing Pomerance called McCullough's actions a "shocking and callous disregard for human life." She said he exploited the trust and vulnerability of his friend and robbed him of his future.
Speaking outside of the courthouse minutes after the sentencing, Fraser's uncle, John Southcott, read a statement from the family saying they are pleased with the outcome of the proceedings.
The statement called this an unspeakable, unnecessary and heinous crime.
"It was satisfying that he is never going to get out again. He's gone to jail and whatever happens to him in jail, happens to him in jail. I'm just glad he's not going to be able to hurt anybody else, especially in our little small town of Orangeville," said Scott Fraser.
They said the guilty verdict, delivered Monday, has brought them some closure.
"It's bittersweet. We got our justice but it will not bring Alex back and that's a shame," said Jackie Fraser.
Fraser family statement:
"We are very pleased with the outcome of these proceedings. Justice has been served, the system works, the judge and jury did their job. This has been a long and difficult process. It's been two and a half years since we lost Alex. Although nothing can bring him back, now we have closure. We can and will move forward. This is what Alex would want and expect from us.
First we would like to thank the members of the media for the respect they showed our family throughout this ordeal. We needed and continue to need our privacy. We sincerely thank all of those who made this outcome possible and were with us throughout this long and difficult journey. We'll be forever grateful to Joanne from victim services, Meredith and Vanessa from the crown, Gary, Amanda, and the many officers that worked on this case, and everyone who worked so tirelessly on Alex's behalf and our behalf to see that justice was served.
This was an unspeakable, unnecessary and heinous crime. We have no doubt that given the opportunity the convicted individual would re-offend. Lets hope that never happens and that a life sentence really means life.
In closing, we especially want to thank our friends, Alex's friends, and our family for the care love and support they have given us. The thoughtful words from Alex's friends speak to the person he was. He was kind, caring, and always had others in mind before himself and that is how we will remember him."