B.C. Man Given 4-Year Imprisonment for Fatal Shooting of Friend
The judge said the death stemmed from “breathtaking recklessness” and gave Steenbergen the mandatory minimum for manslaughter and firearms offences.
- On Friday, May 8, Sooke resident Adam John Steenbergen received a four-year sentence for the manslaughter of Michael Leier, following a fatal bulletproof vest test on March 12, 2023.
- While intoxicated on March 12, 2023, the pair drove to Fore Bay Road to test bulletproof vests; Steenbergen shot Leier with a Polymer 80 firearm, initially believing his friend was "faking it and joking" after he collapsed.
- Investigators recovered spent 9-mm shell casings at the scene, and a pathologist determined Leier died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, prompting Justice Jennifer Duncan to rule the death "the product of breathtaking recklessness."
- During the hearing, Heather Leier described ongoing trauma affecting their children, while Steenbergen apologized to the gallery, stating, "There is absolutely nothing I can say to bring him back."
- Defense lawyer Neil Brooks noted Steenbergen has since sought mental health support and maintained steady employment, while serving one year and three months for firearms offences concurrently with his manslaughter term.
9 Articles
9 Articles
B.C. man given 4-year imprisonment for fatal shooting of friend - Creston Valley Advance
Sooke resident Adam John Steenbergen sat hunched over in the prisoner’s dock, looking at the ground as he awaited sentencing for the killing of his friend, a father of two, after the duo tested a bulletproof vest. Earlier this year, Steenbergen pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the March 12, 2023, death of 42-year-old Michael Leier, as well as two firearms offences. Shortly after Justice Jennifer Duncan entered the courtroom on the afternoon of …
B.C. man given 4-year imprisonment for fatal shooting of friend - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier
Sooke resident Adam John Steenbergen sat hunched over in the prisoner’s dock, looking at the ground as he awaited sentencing for the killing of his friend, a father of two, after the duo tested a bulletproof vest. Earlier this year, Steenbergen pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the March 12, 2023, death of 42-year-old Michael Leier, as well as two firearms offences. Shortly after Justice Jennifer Duncan entered the courtroom on the afternoon of …
B.C. man given 4-year imprisonment for fatal shooting of friend - Grand Forks Gazette
Sooke resident Adam John Steenbergen sat hunched over in the prisoner’s dock, looking at the ground as he awaited sentencing for the killing of his friend, a father of two, after the duo tested a bulletproof vest. Earlier this year, Steenbergen pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the March 12, 2023, death of 42-year-old Michael Leier, as well as two firearms offences. Shortly after Justice Jennifer Duncan entered the courtroom on the afternoon of …
B.C. man given 4-year imprisonment for fatal shooting of friend - Vanderhoof Omineca Express
Sooke resident Adam John Steenbergen sat hunched over in the prisoner’s dock, looking at the ground as he awaited sentencing for the killing of his friend, a father of two, after the duo tested a bulletproof vest. Earlier this year, Steenbergen pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the March 12, 2023, death of 42-year-old Michael Leier, as well as two firearms offences. Shortly after Justice Jennifer Duncan entered the courtroom on the afternoon of …
B.C. man given 4-year imprisonment for fatal shooting of friend - Northern Sentinel
Sooke resident Adam John Steenbergen sat hunched over in the prisoner’s dock, looking at the ground as he awaited sentencing for the killing of his friend, a father of two, after the duo tested a bulletproof vest. Earlier this year, Steenbergen pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the March 12, 2023, death of 42-year-old Michael Leier, as well as two firearms offences. Shortly after Justice Jennifer Duncan entered the courtroom on the afternoon of …
B.C. man given 4 year inprisonment for fatal shooting of friend
Sooke resident Adam John Steenbergen sat hunched over in the prisoner’s dock, looking at the ground as he awaited sentencing for the killing of his friend, a father of two, after the duo tested a bulletproof vest. Earlier this year, Steenbergen pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the March 12, 2023, death of 42-year-old Michael Leier, as well as two firearms offences. Shortly after Justice Jennifer Duncan entered the courtroom on the afternoon of …
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