A three-year-long murder mystery of 18-year-old Brittney Gargol has finally been solved thanks to a selfie she posted on Facebook that included the <a href="http://thegoldwater.com/news/16396-Canada-Conviction-As-Murder-Weapon-Shows-In-Facebook-Selfie">murder weapon</a>.
Now, because the killer pleaded guilty to manslaughter, she has been handed a sentence of only seven years for strangling her friend to death. To put that in perspective, weed dealers get more time in prison for that in America.
Cheyenne Rose Antoine says she doesn't remember killing Garbol but accepts responsibility for her death, according to her lawyer.
A provincial court judge heard Monday about how Antoine was drinking and using drugs on the night she killed Gargol. She then dumped her body on a road near Cedar Villa Estates just south of Saskatoon in Canada.
Her body wasn't found until a passerby discovered her lifeless form early in the morning on March 25, 2015. It wasn't until two years after the murder that police arrested and charged Antoine with second-degree murder.
She is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Monday but instead the 21-year-old pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter. Prosecutors and the defense agreed on a statement of facts outlining what Crown prosecutor Robin Ritter referred to as "a long and complicated investigation."
Police identified the victim as 18-year-old Gargol but where struck with no evidence as to what had happened to her. Thanks to a selfie the victim took with Antoine she posted on Facebook six hours before her body was found, police had found a lead to pursue.
In the photo, Antoine was wearing a belt found next to Gargol's body and determined the belt was used to kill her after an autopsy determined she died of strangulation.
In an attempt to hide her involvement, Antoine even posted on the victim's Facebook page saying, "Where are you? Haven’t heard from you. Hope you made it home safe."
Well, she didn't make it home safe, she was killed by Antoine herself. She then lied to police saying she was with Gargol the night she died but left to go see her uncle.
After Antoine's alibi didn't check out, her uncle later revealed that Antoine had asked him to go along with her alibi. A witness came forward to say Antoine had come to their home and said she got into an argument with her friend and choked her.
Antoine's defense says her last memory is of Gargol taking her phone and she doesn't remember killing her and hiding her body. "I'll never forgive myself. It’s wrong and shouldn’t have happened," she said in court.
Gargol's stepmother, Kristi Wickenhauser told Antoine, "You were her friend. She trusted you." Wickenhauser added that Antoine could have taken Gargol to a hospital instead of leaving her to die."
Antoine's defense attorney told reporters, "My client had some very deep, personal issues that she was not dealing with, and unfortunately they turned into a very tragic situation for all involved."
Antoine was sentenced to seven years in prison, a sentence that falls within the four-to-12-year sentencing range for manslaughter.
Gray says the sentence is a good median for the balance of the nature of the crime with the fact that Antoine pleaded guilty and shows remorse.
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