KITCHENER -- A man was sentenced to 13 years behind bars on Wednesday for the 2018 shooting death of Jeffrey Maxner.
Joel Scalzo will serve nine years and four months in a federal penitentiary because of time already served in custody.
Jeffrey Maxner's family and friends said they were frustrated and disappointed by the sentence.
"That is disgusting," his mother Joanne Maxner said.
Maxner was in a Brantford parking lot when he was shot and killed on New Year's Day in 2018.
The agreed statement of facts stated Scalzo shot at Maxner's vehicle five times. One bullet struck the man's back and killed him.
Five days after the shooting, Scalzo was arrested for uttering threats and was charged with 11 counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking. While he was in custody, he was also charged with first-degree murder and three counts of unauthorized possession of a weapon.
In July of 2020, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. The agreed statement of facts said he did not intent to shoot Maxner, only his vehicle.
"Jeff was a human being," Joanne said. "He took it."
Last month during his sentencing hearing, 49 victim impact statements were read in court by Maxner's family and friends, who said they hoped he would get justice.
"Obviously I was arguing a different interpretation of some of the key facts which affected the sentence, but overall it was fair and balanced," Scalzo's lawyer Jordana Goldlist said. "He is most certainly content with the outcome."
Maxner's family called the justice system broken.
"They know how to work the system," Joanne said. "He will be out if he's good. He will probably be out in just over four years."
Scalzo will be eligible for parole in three years and one month.
Goldlist said he will seek anger management counselling once he's released from prison.
