Man who pleaded guilty in Langley teen’s overdose death sentenced
Posted October 26, 2023 7:44 am.
Last Updated October 26, 2023 1:51 pm.
The man who pleaded guilty in the overdose death of Langley teen Carson Crimeni has been handed an 18-month jail sentence.
Carson died on Aug. 7, 2019, after an apparent overdose at the Walnut Grove skate park.
Given what the family has been through, 18 months hardly seems enough, says Aron Crimeni, Carson’s father.
“Disappointed, disappointed. We were hoping for at least two years of incarceration. Kind of feel like the court took the middle ground on this one,” Aron told reporters Thursday.
“We were hoping for this to be a precedented case — which I believe it is — and to get the highest sentence that we were hoping for would have set a better precedent for future cases.”
Carson was with a group of older teens at the time of his death. Instead of calling 911, many filmed the boy’s final moments and shared them on social media.
The teen was found barely alive hours later and died in the hospital.
The Crown was pushing for the maximum youth sentence of three years — two years in custody and one year probation. The defence, meanwhile, had asked for less time in custody.
During sentencing, the judge remarked Carson’s death has left a “giant chasm of emptiness and sadness.”
Describing this case as heartbreaking and tragic, the judge also noted there are no winners in this, adding the man who sold the drugs to Carson will live with that knowledge for the rest of his life.
The person who sold Carson the MDMA pleaded guilty to manslaughter in May. He can’t be named as he was 17 at the time.
Even though he’s now 21, the man is being treated as a young offender.
“It’s good to know that he’s going to jail for his crime, for what he did to my son. The time seems low. We knew it wouldn’t be what he deserved,” Aron said.
