Duane Hicks
A Shoal Lake First Nation man was sentenced to life in prison, with no eligibility for parole for 20 years, for second-degree murder in connection with the 2007 death of Ashley Smith of Naicatchewenin First Nation.
Bronson Green appeared before Justice G.P. Smith of the Ontario Superior Court for sentencing Friday morning, at which time court heard impact statements from the victim’s family members, as well as a statement from Green made to her family members and friends.
In agreement with a joint submission from defence lawyer David Gibson and Crown Attorneys Dan Mitchell and Robert “Buster” Young, Justice Smith then sentenced Green.
Justice Smith also sentenced Green to three years, to be served concurrently, for a charge of unlawfully entering a dwelling (home) and 61 days, to be served concurrently, for a charge of breach of probation.
He also is prohibited for life from having weapons, firearms, and ammunition, and must provide a DNA sample for analysis.
Green was to stand trial in late September, but instead pleaded guilty to the murder charge on Sept. 24, at which time a date was set for sentencing.
Green was charged by Treaty #3 Police after Smith’s body was found in the bush near the main community road on Naicatchewenin in the early-morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007.
The weight of the tragedy was felt in the courtroom, which was filled with about two dozen of Smith’s family and friends, when several of her family members delivered impact statements prior to the sentencing.
“Oct. 27, ’07 was the day my heart was shattered in a million pieces,” said Ashley’s mother, Barb Smith. “The day our precious and dear girl was brutally taken from us, the ones who loved her most.
“Why? We will never know. Why did you do it, Bronson?”
She recalled her daughter would never hurt anyone, and was the type of girl who was afraid of
spiders and the sight of blood.
Ashley had dreams—and Green took away her chance to make those dreams come true, she said.
Smith also said her daughter’s death continues to haunt her. And while days come and go, it still feels “like it happened yesterday.”
When she is sitting at home, Smith said she waits to hear the sound of typing on Ashley’s computer keyboard or loud music coming from her bedroom, or her daughter’s voice calling, “Mother,” unable to accept “the awful truth she’s no longer with us.”
Smith said she secretly cries in her room, dealing with the loss of the daughter she gave birth to on May 9, 1989. She has kept Ashley’s clothes, her school work, and even pieces of paper her daughter had written on.
For a time, the family wouldn’t eat Ashley’s favourite food—Kraft dinner.
Some days, Smith said she doesn’t feel like going on any more but has to because of her four other children she cares for.
“I hope some day you come to realize how much pain you’ve caused this family to suffer,” she concluded.
Ashley’s grandmother, Lorraine Smith said she never thought she would lose a loved one so suddenly.
“I still have a hard time going by the place where it happened, but I have to every time I leave the reserve,” she lamented.
Lorraine Smith said since the murder, she can’t think of working, has been suffering from low self-esteem, doesn’t want to talk to other band members, has a hard time sleeping (and cries herself to sleep when she does), and is afraid for her husband, Tom, who has had heart problems since the tragedy and no longer can work.
And after Ashley’s death, she was afraid Green would come and kill her and Tom—even though she knew Green was locked up.
She stressed to Green that Ashley was not his girlfriend, never would be, and he never will have one because he is “evil.”
“What you did was evil. You are a monster,” said Lorraine Smith, adding the only consolation she has is Green will be locked up for a long time.
That said, Ashley’s grandmother added: “I forgive you, Bronson. If I don’t forgive you, the Father up there will not forgive me,” adding all men must be forgiven for their trespasses.
Grandfather Tommy Smith said he’s been depressed every day since the tragedy, and can’t concentrate on daily activities. His eating and sleeping patterns have been disturbed, and he feels he can’t be a part of the Naicatchewenin community.
“Ever since we have lost our loved one . . . I started to have chest pain every day. And gradually it got worse,” he recounted.
On Feb. 25, 2009, Smith had a heart attack, which the 63-year-old said was caused by the crime.
“All of my life was affected by that crime,” he remarked.
Ashley Smith’s aunt, Tara Smith, asked Green how she can explain to her little boys what happened to their cousin?
“I pray one day I can find it in my heart to forgive you,” she later said.
Both Gibson and Mitchell said Green should get a life sentence with no eligibility of parole for 20 years.
Gibson said Green’s upbringing was marked by crime and substance abuse, Green himself had been intoxicated every time he’s been charged with an offence, and he’s in serious need of help.
Mitchell said Green’s long criminal record shows “a thread of violence and lack of care and consideration for others,” and in this case, Green committed “a brutal murder.”
He added Green has “little interest in turning his life around,” is not a viable candidate for community-based rehabilitation programs, and asked that the “community be protected as long as possible from Bronson Green.”
Green gave a statement to Ashley’s family, noting he fully understands that what he had taken away from them can never be replaced, and he will “deeply regret” his actions “forever.”
Green also said he is committed to becoming a better person.
“I need to change. Sorry,” he remarked.
Justice Smith also shared words before delivering Green’s sentence, recounting the events of the early hours of Oct. 27, 2007.
He noted Green and Ashley, who were not romantically involved, had been partying together that evening and both had been drinking alcohol. At one point that night, the pair had taken her grandmother’s car for a ride, and it went off the road near the entrance to the community.
Shortly thereafter, Green sexually assaulted Smith and beat her to death. The cause of death was the “sum of blunt force injuries” to Smith’s head and neck.
The teen’s relatives saw Green, who was highly-intoxicated, leaving the scene of the car accident and confronted him. He initially tried to blame Smith’s death on the accident, but police investigation of the scene proved otherwise.
Justice Smith added aggravating factors in Green’s sentencing include the level of violence, the fact there was a sexual assault, the extreme intoxication, and lack of motive while mitigating factors include Green’s guilty plea (and the fact this saved the family from having to endure a lengthy trial) and his remorse in his statement to the family.
He said he hopes Green, who has an extensive criminal record and a background of substance abuse, can complete his education while incarcerated and turn his life around.
“Nothing that happens today can ever bring Ashley back to life,” he said, adding that any time a human being suffers a tragic loss, it is a pain that they will carry forever.
But he also said that, with Green’s sentencing, he hopes Ashley’s family can begin their journey of healing and eventually forgive Green, as Lorraine Smith said she has.
