Accomplice in Barrie teen's shooting death sentenced

Warning: Some details in this article may be upsetting to some readers.

Alexander Craggs faced sentencing on Wednesday for his part in the death of a 17-year-old boy in Barrie in November 2021.

Craggs had admitted to driving two youths to a River Ridge home where one of them allegedly shot the victim to death in his driveway.

"When he learned about what they did, he did nothing about it," the judge said, adding Craggs wasn't pressured or threatened to participate that fateful night. "You know what you did, and you know what you failed to do."

Craggs, who was 18 at the time of the deadly shooting, pleaded guilty in December to being an accessory after the fact to murder.

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Earlier this month, the victim's parents delivered haunting impact statements about the devastating loss of their youngest son.

"A huge part of me died with him and continues to suffer every morning that I open my eyes to know that my nightmare continues," his mother told the court.

"I feel his cold blood on my fingers," his father stated. "The first thing I see, I hear, and I feel every morning is the sound of gunshots."

The court had heard Craggs be described as a drug addict who suffered from anxiety and depression but that he had been clean since his arrest one day after the shooting.

The now-20-year-old was sentenced to three and a half years behind bars, with credit for pre-trial custody.

Craggs will spend another 13 months in jail, followed by an 18-month probation. He was also handed a lifetime weapons ban and can have no contact with the two co-accused in the case.

During his sentencing, the judge told Craggs he would have an opportunity to alter the course of his life.

"You can get an education. You can change things. You can honour the efforts your family and friends are prepared to make for you to become a better person and help give back to society. I hope you can do this," said Justice Philop Brissette.

The teen accused of pulling the trigger has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

The identities of the victim and youths involved are protected and, therefore, cannot be published.