A 36-year-old man originally accused of second-degree murder in Chatham has been sentenced to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Marvin Garraway, 36, was sentenced in Superior Court of Justice in Chatham on Monday and received a three year sentence and two years probation. He has one year left to serve after credit for enhanced time already served was factored in and extra credit was given for "punitive" COVID-19 lockdowns while he was in custody at the jail in Windsor.
Garraway was originally charged with second degree murder in October of 2022 after an altercation at a home on Colborne Street in Chatham.
Chatham-Kent police previously reported a 28-year-old man arrived at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance with life-threatening injuries and later died.
The court heard that the victim, Randall Rouse, died after being stabbed multiple times and shot in the neck.
The defence was seeking a sentence of time already served plus probation, while the prosecution wanted a sentence of 4-5 years.
The court heard the the victim shot Garraway twice in the abdomen and the arm during a gathering after Garraway refused to go outside and talk with the victim. That's when the victim became "enraged" and a struggle ensued and Garraway repeatedly stabbed the victim with a knife he got from the stove area.
The court heard the two men were strangers and Garraway, who lived and worked in Brampton, spent weekends in Chatham to spend time with his four-year-old daughter.
Garraway pleaded guilty to the manslaughter charge in November 2023.
The judge took into account Garraway's lengthy criminal record that began in 2013 for assault, aggravated assault, and carrying a concealed weapon.
On top of the three year sentence, Garraway is also under a lifetime ban from possessing firearms, must not consume illicit drugs, must attend counselling for anger management and psychological issues, and must provide a DNA sample.