Two men have been sentenced in an armed break and enter on Flax Road in August, 2018 that ended the life of a Moose Jaw man.

Sherwyn Pelletier pleaded guilty to manslaughter of Tyrus Ayerst and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Pelletier’s co-accused, Thomas Redsky McNab, received four years in prison for breaking and entering and committing robbery. The sentence was a joint submission by the Crown and defence.  

Pelletier and McNab have spent seven months in remand and will get credit for 10.5 months.

“The two of them had attended to a home with the view to a robbery,” said Provincial Crown Prosecutor Rob Parker. “There were a number of people in the bedroom, including the victim, Mr. Ayerst.”

As described in court, Pelletier then made what was described by one witness as a cross-checking motion with a shotgun at Ayerst, to knock him down at the bed.

“He went to essentially strike him in the face area with the shotgun when it discharged,” Parker said.

Pelletier initially denied responsibility or knowledge that anything happened, but then admitted the circumstances of attempting to strike Ayerst in the face with the gun. As part of sentencing, both Pelletier and McNab are also required to submit their DNA for the national DNA registry and both have a ten year firearms prohibition.