The getaway driver in a 2021 homicide has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in an adult prison for his role in the shooting death of a Barrie teenager.
Alexander Craggs, who was 18 years old at the time of the homicide, was sentenced Wednesday in a Barrie courtroom in the death of a 17-year-old male on River Ridge Road, near Hurst Drive and Golden Meadow Road.
Craggs previously admitted to driving the vehicle that dropped off the other two accused in the area of the victim’s house and then picking up the shooter after the homicide occurred.
With the respect to the accessory-to-murder conviction against Craggs, Justice Phil Brissette handed down his sentence. With time served, Craggs will remain in prison for another 13 months.
The 17-year-old victim was killed Nov. 19, 2021 outside a River Ridge Road home in south-end Barrie. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name, as well as any information that could identify him, cannot be published under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Craggs was initially charged along with two 17-year-old males with first-degree murder. That charge against Craggs has now been dropped.
The names of the other accused, whose cases are still before the courts, are also protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act due to their age.
The person who has been identified in court as the shooter is scheduled to appear in Barrie court by video on July 20. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on June 8.
Justice Brissette, who was the only person to speak at today’s sentencing, took Craggs’s mental health into account as he read from the sentencing report.
“(Craggs) struggled with depression at the age of 13 and turned to marijuana to feel normal,” said the judge. “Once he was in high school, he became somewhat jaded and prioritized social life over education.”
Brissette also said Craggs later turned to harder drugs, of which his family was unaware.
Despite Craggs having no previous criminal record, Brissette said he displayed poor judgment on that November day.
“He assisted them freely and voluntarily and when he found out what they did, he did nothing about it,” the judge said in his sentencing.
But the judge agreed that the young man's chances of rehabilitation are high, referring to the many people in his family and wider support system who have agreed to help.
In the end, Brissette agreed with the joint sentencing submission from both the defense and the Crown of three-and-a-half years.
The judge then faced Craggs: “You’re going to have to pay the price for that for the next 13 months, you understand? But it doesn't have to be who you are moving forward. Get an education and change things.”
The case involving the third accused remains before the courts.
