HAMILTON - The man who murdered a Guelph woman in her Hamilton apartment in 2016 has been sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility of parole for 18 years.
Shane Shakeshaft, 30, pled guilty to second-degree murder of Jenna Gazzola. The sentence was handed down in a Hamilton courtroom last Thursday.
Shakeshaft, who lived on the same floor as the Hamilton school teacher, broke into her apartment on April 18, 2016, while she was out and when she returned viciously beat and sexually assaulted her before strangling her with an electrical cord.
He was found passed out on a couch in Gazzola's apartment after the landlord had found the front door damaged and called police.
The family and crown attorney agreed to a guilty plea for second-degree murder to prevent a lengthy and detailed trial and possible appeal. There was also a chance Shakeshaft could have been found not criminally responsible for his actions at trial and sent to hospital rather than prison.
He was previously assessed and found criminally responsible for his actions.
Shakeshaft, an unemployed man originally from Nova Scotia, will get credit for the two and a half years he has been in custody.
He was initially charged with first-degree murder, but the charge was lowered to second-degree murder after an agreement between the crown attorney and defence lawyer.
The Hamilton Spectator reports from the trial that during victim impact statements, Jenna's father, retired Guelph police officer Marino Gazzola, said: "No forgiveness will ever be given. No apology will ever be accepted."
