Manslaughter
R. v. Greenwood
Sentence and the Crown's position
What the law allows
Leslie Greenwood pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter for the September 2000 shooting deaths of two people in their home, after two earlier murder convictions were overturned on appeal. Crown and defence jointly recommended 15 years on each count, concurrent, deemed served by his remand time and time served on the overturned sentences. Justice Arnold accepted the joint recommendation, finding him entitled to an appreciable reduction for pleading guilty in highly unusual circumstances, including a weakening Crown case.
In the judge's words
1While the crimes which Mr. Greenwood committed are horrendous, he is entitled to an appreciable reduction in sentence for accepting responsibility and entering guilty pleas in these highly unusual, and unlikely to be repeated, circumstances.
The record
- Convicted of
- Manslaughter (CC 236, 2 counts)
- Prior convictions
- Not recorded
- At the time of the offence
- Not stated1
- Defence asked for
- 15 years in custody1
- Appeal
- Not yet checked
- Counsel
- Crown: Shauna MacDonald, K.C., and Peter Craig, K.C.
Defence: Michael Spratt and Keara Lundrigan
Sources
- R. v. Greenwood, 2026 NSSC 108 Court decision, CanLII, April 1, 2026
[1] … Crown and defence jointly recommend a period of 15 years in jail concurrent to each other, with time considered served due to his time in custody on these matters, combined with his time spent serving related sentences.
[1] … Crown and defence jointly recommend a period of 15 years in jail concurrent to each other, with time considered served due to his time in custody on these matters, combined with his time spent serving related sentences.
[1] Leslie Douglas Greenwood was originally charged with two counts of first degree murder
[20] While the crimes which Mr. Greenwood committed are horrendous, he is entitled to an appreciable reduction in sentence for accepting responsibility and entering guilty pleas in these highly unusual, and unlikely to be repeated, circumstances.
[24] I accept the joint recommendation and sentence Mr. Greenwood to 15 years in custody on each count, to be served concurrently. The joint recommendation proposes that credit for remand time and time spent in custody serving sentence is, when combined, equivalent to 15 years in custody. Therefore, Mr. Greenwood’s sentences are considered served by his time already spent in custody in relation to these matters.
- R. v. Greenwood, 2026 NSSC 108 Court decision, Courts of Nova Scotia