Cory James Kaufmann has been handed a lengthy sentence in connection with the murder of 59-year-old Raymond Wechzelberger.
Kaufmann will not be eligible for parole for at least 17 years from the date of his arrest. He has already been in custody for about four-and-a-half years.
Kaufmann pleaded guilty to second degree murder in November 2011, admitting he beat Wechzelberger with a rubber mallet he bought the night before and had planned to dump the body.
Wechzelberger was found dead in his Spadina Road townhouse in September 2007.
Nineteen at the time of the murder, Kaufmann had been working for Wechzelberger at the Kitchener housing complex where the body was found.
Their interactions had been described as tumultuous, and Kaufmann told the court Wechzelberger paid him for massages and he later became uncomfortable with the relationship.
Crown prosecutor Patricia Moore says "Mr. Kaufmann had some concerns about that relationship being revealed and that may have been his motive for his crime."
A statement from Wechzelberger's family in light of the sentencing was read by Crown prosecutor Melanie Sopinka.
"We are deeply saddened and devastated by the murder of our father and husband. It has been a very long four-and-a-half years and as this day arrived our grief was as present as it was on September 8th, 2007. The actions taken by Cory Kaufmann are unforgiveable and we now request our privacy to move forward with our lives."
Both the Crown and defence attorneys agreed with the duration of the sentence based on the aggravating circumstances and the level of planning and deliberation.
Kaufmann had no criminal record and the crime was considered out of character for him. In court he apologized to Wechzelberger's family, saying what he did was absolutely unacceptable and that he was sincerely sorry.
