A B.C. man has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for manslaughter in the overdose death of 14-year-old Carson Crimeni.
The 21-year-old cannot be named because he was a minor at the time Crimeni took the fatal dose of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, at a Langley skate park in August 2019.
He will serve an 18-month conditional sentence in the community following his release.
During sentencing on Thursday, a judge told a New Westminster courtroom that the young man was 17 years old and a known drug dealer in the community at the time. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Ker said he gave Crimeni an “objectively massive amount” of MDMA, misleading him into believing he was consuming just of fraction of what he actually received.
Although the young drug dealer did not join the crowds of teenagers taking videos of Crimeni’s obvious distress and posting them on social media while he overdosed, Ker said he is ultimately responsible for the boy’s death.
“He is the person who over-served this child on two occasions on that fateful day in 2019,” Ker said.
“He will have to live with this fact for the rest of his life. … This case is truly heartbreaking and tragic, no matter the perspective.”
Ker said the young man gave up drug dealing immediately after Crimeni’s death, and has apparently turned his life around since then.
Carson’s grandfather found the teen lying on the pavement in the dark on the night he died.
Darrel Crimeni said his grandson, who was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age and was incredibly friendly to everyone, had been bullied since elementary school.
Victim impact statements from Carson’s family described him as a “goofster and a clown” who loved to make people laugh. They also said he was desperate to fit in, which drove his decision to purchase drugs on the day of his death.
More to come.