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The man who lit the fire that killed a beloved Osborne Village shop owner while “extremely” high on methamphetamine has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In September, Douglas Wayne Last pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Aug. 15, 2021, death of Jung Ja Shin.
The 60-year-old died of smoke inhalation after she was pulled from the blaze at the E-Mart convenience store at 157 Scott St., where she lived in a second-storey apartment with her son.
On Friday, Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Justice Chris Martin sentenced Last, 53, to 10 years in prison. Due to time in custody since his arrest four days after the fatal arson, Last will serve eight years, one month.
The victim’s adult son, Jason Shin, had gone downstairs to investigate after he smelled smoke while playing video games that night. He called 911, but he and responding Winnipeg firefighters were initially unable to get back inside to assist his mother due to the intense heat.
Firefighters were able to beat back the flames and get inside the residence. They pulled Jung Ja Shin out unconscious. The injured woman was rushed to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Shin attended the sentencing hearing, but was unable to speak to court about the impact of his mother’s death, said Crown prosecutor Kaley Tschetter.
“He attempted to (write a statement about the crime), but found it too painful and frustrating to put into words,” Tschetter said. “He is trying hard not to be angry about what happened… He is here today, even though he struggled to even do that.”
The judge told Shin he wanted to express the “condolences and heartfelt sympathies” of the court and community.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES A memorial of flowers, poems, and writings was set up on the front door of EZ Mart to honor Jung Ja Shin.
“I can’t imagine the grief and the loss that you feel, particularly in these circumstances where you were able to escape and then unable to return to the home as you tried to rescue your mom. It just must be devastating,” said Martin.
On Friday, court heard Last was homeless and had been injecting methamphetamine for several days with little sleep before being seen on surveillance tape in the area surrounding the corner shop around 10:15 p.m., trying to light fires and pushing old water heaters around an alleyway.
Several other witnesses called 911 to report the incidents.
Security video shows Last using a lighter to set a fire in an area between the convenience store and an adjacent building on Wardlaw Avenue around 10:30 p.m.
Last walked away, but set two more small fires.
ALEX LUPUL / FREE PRESS FILES Jung Ja Shin of smoke inhalation after she was pulled from the blaze at the E-Mart convenience store at 157 Scott St., where she lived in a second-storey apartment with her son.
Winnipeg police viewing the surveillance video Aug. 19, 2021, recognized Last from other footage and arrested him that day after a short chase.
Tschetter had sought a sentence of 11 to 12 years, calling the crime serious and unprovoked. “The offence was horrifying,” the Crown said.
Defence lawyer Marc Zurbuchen had previously asked for eight years, noting Last’s guilty plea, his remorse and extreme intoxication at the time.
Zurbuchen said Last has had addictions for nearly his entire life, including to cocaine, opiates and methamphetamine at varying points, and has struggled with homelessness.
He has taken many programs to seek help, but has been unsuccessful. Most of Last’s decades-long criminal record, while extensive, was related to property crimes and court order breaches, Zurbuchen said.
“There’s no good motive for what happened here, there’s nothing that really excuses what you did. Meth does not excuse it.”–Court of King’s Bench Justice Chris Martin
Last has been diagnosed while in jail with major depressive disorder with psychotic features, stimulant-induced psychosis and anti-social personality disorder. He began taking medications, the lawyer said.
Last apologized to Shin, turning to him in the courtroom, telling the victim’s son he was “very sorry for what happened” and he planned to do programming in prison to address his addictions.
He did not intend to kill anyone when he lit the fires, Last told court, claiming he was attempting to shake off people he imagined were out to get him, while in the throes of a meth-induced psychosis.
Martin accepted Last’s explanation for why he set the fires, but said he had trouble believing it — considering Last was also seen pushing around water heaters with the apparent intent of selling them as scrap metal.
“There’s no good motive for what happened here, there’s nothing that really excuses what you did. Meth does not excuse it,” the judge said.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera reports for the city desk, with a particular focus on crime and justice.
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