A 29-year-old woman who was behind the wheel of an SUV involved in a fatal hit and run has been sentenced to 6.5 years in prison.
Brittany Boyce was sentenced at the London courthouse on Thursday afternoon. She had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Deborah Titus. She also plead guilty to two additional counts of assault with a weapon and theft under $5,000.
Titus, 64, had just gotten off of her motorized scooter in the parking lot of an east London dental office on November 21, 2017, when she was approached by Boyce, who asked for change for a $50 bill. Titus opened her purse revealing a large amount of cash meant to pay for dental work and said she would have changed after her appointment.
Boyce followed Titus into the office where she snatched her purse and took off with the 64-year-old and a dental office employee giving chase. Boyce hopped into the driver’s side of an SUV, but Titus was able to get the door open. During the scuffle that ensued, Boyce put the vehicle in reverse and hit Titus with the front driver’s side wheel. The SUV dragged the dental office employee a short distance as Boyce made her getaway.
Titus died from her injuries, while the employee was treated for injuries that included a concussion.
Boyce was arrested at a home on Florence St. following a week-long search by police.
"In my opinion, this is clearly a case where a lenient sentence is not appropriate," said Justice Wayne Rabley in handing down his decision.
He pointed to aggravating factors in the case such as Boyce's record for dangerous driving and that she was on probation at the time of the offence. But he also took into account mitigating factors like her early guilty plea, clear signs of remorse, and difficult upbringing.
Rabley urged Boyce to take this opportunity to "make something of herself."
"It is up to you. You can come out of this a better person," said Rabley. "You've got a long road ahead of you... you're at that crucial point in your life, who is Brittany Boyce going to be?"
Before sentencing, several victim impact statements were heard.
Jason Titus described his mother as a sweet, loving woman who would give you the shirt off her back.
“Whenever I was feeling down, I could always count on my mom to put a smile on my face," Jason Titus' statement continued.
He said that since his mother was killed he has felt sadness, anger, confusion, depression, and loneliness.
Bob Chemney
Titus' older brother Bob Chemney said he has had trouble sleeping since his sister's death. He was overcome with emotion as he told the court he would speak to Titus, his baby sister, on the phone once a week and always thought he "would go before her."
Chemney said he hoped Boyce would use her time in prison to think about what had happened.
“I hope she changes her life so her children don’t have to spend time without her," said Chemney.
Rabley was shown video surveillance of the crime prior to the victim impact statements. Boyce, who was wearing a turquoise blouse, grey sweater, and dark blue jeans with her hair tied back, sat with her face cupped in her hands.
Rabley noted after watching the footage that Lisa Bowman, the dental officer worker, was "extremely lucky" she was not more seriously hurt.
But lucky is not something Bowman feels. She told the court she is full of guilt, shame, and remorse.
"I always think, could I have done anything different to help [Titus] survive? Why did God spare my life?”
Bowman said she has not been able to return to work since the hit-and-run and is suffering financially. She hopes this is the "wake-up call" Boyce needs to change her ways.
“I am full of compassion, not of pity. There were so many lives changed that day and I for one will not be the same," said Bowman.
Boyce's defence lawyer Jim Dean outlined his client's troubled past. Her stepfather was physically and emotionally abusive, forcing her to leave home when she was 14 years old. At age 16, Boyce was beaten and thrown down a set of stairs by a boyfriend. She suffered a serious injury to her spinal cord and was in a wheelchair for six months. During that time she was prescribed opioids to cope with the pain and became addicted. By the time she was 20 years old, she had begun using crack cocaine and intravenous drugs. Despite that, her criminal record did not begin until she was 23-years-old. It now contains over 20 convictions for a variety of offence.
In between relapses, Boyce had three daughters. She tried to kick her drug habit four times between 2013 to 2016 but was never successful. The day Titus was killed, Boyce was trying to get money to repay a drug debt, according to Dean.
"The purse snatching was an act of opportunity and desperation,” he told the court. “Ms. Boyce wants to move forward, do her time, deal with her addiction.”
Dean had asked for a three to five-year sentence, while the Crown requested a sentence of eight to ten years.
Given a chance to speak before Rabley delivered his decision, Boyce said she is "truly sorry for this tragedy in our lives."
"A lump goes into my throat and I can’t breathe. The terrors of night and day consume me. I will atone for my sins. I allowed my addiction and high-risk lifestyle to consume me. I’m sorry is not enough,” Boyce said through tears.
Speaking outside of the courthouse, Dean called Rabley's decision very fair and reasonable.
"In the big scheme of things it just means a little more treatment for her," said Dean. "When she is going to be in prison she will go to her therapy, she will go to her treatment, she will go to her classes, she will do everything. That is all she's got to do there."
Pat Frost
Pat Frost, Titus' sister, was less satisfied with the sentence.
"It's not fair. I lost a sister. I'll never see her again and [Boyce] only gets six and a half years... she should have got more than that," said Frost.
Frost said she and her sister had been planning to go to Ottawa this year to see relatives. Titus had vowed to care for her wheelchair-bound sister while they travelled.
"All I can do now is look at her picture every day and talk to it... What good is that? I can't see her in person anymore because [Boyce] took her life away," said Frost.
In addition to the prison sentence, Boyce is also banned from owning a weapon for six years and driving for five years after her release.
