*this story contains graphic details*
The first of three men involved in the murder of Colton Cook was sentenced today in Yarmouth Supreme Court.
Keith Siscoe Jr. was given three years in prison for accessory after the fact to murder.
Siscoe Jr. received credit for time already served on remand since his arrest in December, 2020, meaning he’ll be behind bars for another 285 days, followed by 18 months of probation.
The Crown and defense had a joint-agreement in place on three years, but did not agree on how much credit Siscoe Jr. should get for time already served.
The defense were asking for an additional 180 days of remand time because of harsh conditions at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility that Siscoe Jr. has had to endure.
On the stand, Siscoe Jr. said he’s been assaulted for being a ‘murder rat,’ and he’s not received proper programming due to COVID regulations.
Justice Pierre Muise ended up granting an extra 60 days served, noting that any more would not be appropriate in this case.
In his nearly hour long statement before sentencing, Justice Muise weighed similar cases, the hurt that it’s caused Cook’s family, and the rough up-bringing that Siscoe Jr. had, which included extreme alcohol and mental health issues.
Before he was sentenced, Siscoe Jr. addressed Cook’s mother, Stacey Cook.
“I’m sorry to Stacey for what happened to her son that night. I didn’t have a choice that night. Everyone looks at me like I’m a cold-blooded killer, I’m not a killer,” he said in the courtroom.
Cook was murdered in September, 2020 at Siscoe Jr’s home in South Ohio, Yarmouth County.
Cook was shot and stabbed by Robert Rogers and Wayne Crawford until he died.
They are awaiting sentencing for second degree murder.
Rogers was found guilty by a jury last week of murdering Cook, Crawford pleaded guilty last month.
They dismembered Cook’s body and Siscoe Jr. helped dispose of it on Saunders Road.
Siscoe Jr. denied his involvement initially, but later told police where to find Rogers and Crawford.
Justice Muise noted the severity of Siscoe Jr’s actions, and said he knew Cook had suffered a brutal death.
He says pretending not to know what happened affected the family, and their ability to be able to say goodbye to their loved one properly.
Cook’s Mother Says Justice Was Not Served:
Following today’s sentencing, outside court Cook’s mother Stacey Cook said Siscoe Jr. had plenty of opportunity to call 911 that night.
She wondered how any human being could do that.
“He’s just as guilty as the other two, if not worse, by standing there and watching. 285 days? For standing there watching my son get brutally murdered. He’s got over 47 other convictions already, he’s not going to change. It’s a revolving door and it has to change. Put longer time on these sentences.”
She says justice wasn’t served today.
“My son is not here and he (Siscoe Jr.) is complaining about staying in his cell for 11 days in a row. My son is in a casket.”
As far as Siscoe Jr.’s apology, she says she didn’t want to hear it.
“He had the opportunity to do what was humanly right, and he chose not to. He could have done a lot more than what he did. No excuse for it.”
Earlier in the day, with pictures of her son at the stand, she read a victim impact statement.
She said her son had a smile that could melt hearts, and grew up to be a responsible young man.
She detailed the medications she’s on, her anxiety and horrible panic attacks, and images that run through her head, of her son being disposed of like garbage.
She says he never got to meet his nieces and nephews, and that would have been Colton’s dream to be a Dad one day.
She noted her daughter lives on the other side of the world, and hasn’t been able to come home and properly grieve her brother’s death.
Stacey Cook ended with a recurring dream she has.
“I visit his grave, and I lay down and start to cry. The ground starts to let go around me, but I just let it happen, so I can hold my son one more time.”
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