A Nova Scotia judge has set parole ineligibility at 17 years for Adam Drake, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of rapper Pat Stay.
In June, a jury found Drake, 34, guilty of second-degree murder for the September 2022 stabbing death at a Halifax nightclub.
A conviction of second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence, with parole ineligibility ranging from 10 to 25 years.
Friday’s sentencing means Drake is now serving two life sentences concurrently. His parole ineligibility for the 2016 death of Tyler Keizer is set at 25 years.
Justice Scott Norton said Friday that the stabbing of Stay was “the definition of inexplicable” and that Drake had no known motive for the crime. He added that Drake is “a dangerous man with questionable rehabilitation prospects” and “may never be released on parole.”
The defence suggested 13 to 15 years before parole eligibility, while the Crown was seeking 20 to 23 years.
Stay was a father, partner and successful battle rapper. In the days after his death, tributes poured in — including online posts from rapper Eminem and Canadian artist Drake.
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In her victim impact statement read aloud in court, Stay’s sister, Carolyn Gouthro, said “the world’s lost a man who made it better just by being here.”
“There are no words that can truly capture the depth of pain and loss,” she wrote. “The world lost an incredible soul who gave so much love and kindness to everybody that he met.”
She said Stay was “mischievous, full of energy, and had a heart that could light up any space that he walked into.”
“My father lost his son, my siblings and I lost our brother, my nieces and nephew lost their uncle, his children lost their father, and his partner, Malyssa, lost the love of her life,” she wrote.
“I miss his laughter, his smile, his positivity, his quick wit, and above all else, the way he loved his children.”
Gouthro’s statement was read to the court by April Keizer, the stepmother of Tyler Keizer, whom Drake was also found guilty of killing.
Already serving life sentence
Drake was already serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in the 2016 shooting death of Keizer. A publication ban on the Keizer verdict was put in place during the Stay trial to ensure it would be fair.
The judge imposed the maximum 25 years before parole eligibility in this case. Drake is appealing this murder conviction.
Keizer was shot while sitting in his vehicle at the corner of Gottingen and Falkland streets in November 2016.
Drake was charged in 2019 for that crime, but the charge was withdrawn by the Crown in October 2021 — just days before the trial was set to begin.
Stay was killed a year later in September 2022.
Prosecutors reinstated the charge for Keizer’s murder in October 2022, after Drake was charged in Stay’s death.
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