Toronto man given life sentence for beating elderly woman to death in her own home – Toronto

A Toronto man who brutally beat an elderly mother and grandmother in her Scarborough home in November 2015 during a break-and-enter has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 18 years.

“Everything about this case is tragic. Ms (Stella) Tetsos was a frail 82-year-old grandma. Sinbad Marshall broke every rib in her chest. It was a cowardly murder of a vulnerable woman with extreme violence,” said Justice Robert Goldstein of Superior Court of Justice in Toronto as he delivered his sentence to 25-year-old Sinbad Marshall via video conference.

Stella Tetsos was found dead in the basement of her bungalow on Nov. 11, 2015. The house had been ransacked and various items of jewelry were missing.

The following day, police arrested Sinbad Marshall near Woodbine and O’Connor Ave. and noticed a gold ring with a turquoise stone on Marshall’s hand that matched the description of a piece of jewelry missing from Tetsos’ home.

After a jury found Marshall guilty of second-degree murder in December 2019, Justice Goldstein asked jurors to recommend a period of parole ineligibility between 10 and 25 years for him to take into consideration.

They recommended 10 years but during sentencing, Goldstein acknowledged that “jurors knew little of Marshall’s criminal record.

They had no idea he was on bail for another assault in another man’s home or that he had recently been convicted of assaulting a 55-year-old woman during a home invasion.

Goldstein agreed with crown attorneys who recommended a parole ineligibility period of 18 years.

During the trial, Marshall testified that he did not intend to kill Tetsos, but the jury rejected that notion in finding him guilty of second-degree murder.

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“The beating was ferocious. He ransacked the house and cut the telephone lines. When police later arrested him, Marshall was in possession of Ms. Tetsos’ jewelry. I agree he did not plan to kill Tetsos when he entered the home. His moral culpability is another matter,” Goldstein said.

While Goldstein delivered his reasons for sentencing, there was a loud outburst from Marshall at one point who was appearing via video from jail. “You’ve given me so much time. I’m going to appeal this whole trial,” said an angered Marshall.

The judge ordered the offender to sit down and listen and told him he could appeal.

“You’re not helping anybody by doing this,” cautioned the judge.

Goldstein said that Marshall was introduced to alcohol and marijuana at the age of 10, after going to live with his stepfather.

One of 11 children, he began using ecstasy and crystal methamphetamine and has had a life of substance abuse. The judge also said that Marshall suffers from mental health issues, including malingering thoughts, and currently takes anti-psychotic and anti-depressant drugs.

Goldstein said Marshall tried to take courses to improve his education and himself while in custody, but spent 27 months in segregation while at Toronto East Detention Centre, which the judge called “shocking, deplorable, and unconscionable. Mr. Marshall is a troubled young man with a history of mental illness, substance abuse and violence. His violence escalated to the point he committed murder. I must reluctantly conclude that his prospects of rehabilitation are poor,” Goldstein said.

Marshall was given 27 months for pre-trial custody so he will be eligible for parole after serving another 15 years and nine months. Goldstein said that as an aboriginal man, Marshall has been subjected to systemic racism for most of his life and said “it is fair to say, he has had no breaks in life.

“Despite feelings of sympathy for Mr. Marshall, I cannot be blinded to the danger he poses. I find that the protection of the public must take precedent.”

Marshall’s lawyers have already indicated he will be appealing the conviction after an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling earlier this year that upheld the constitutionality of legal changes made by the federal government as to how juries are selected.

“Sinbad Marshall is an indigenous young man and his jury was composed of 11 white people and only one person of colour,” Marshall’s lawyer Christopher Hicks told Global News in January.

Marshall addressed the court before he was sentenced. “I’m very sorry for what happened to the victim and her family. I learned a lot of lessons. I learned from my mistakes. When I get out, I want to do better for myself. I want to be a good person. I just want to lead a good life,” he said.