Achi news desk-
An Alberta man who admitted being under the influence of fentanyl and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of Macy Boyce and Ethan Halford in 2022 has been sentenced to seven years behind bars.
Richard Bell will also receive a six-year driving ban after completing his sentence.
He will be required to provide a sample of his DNA once in custody.
An order is also in place banning him from possessing any type of firearms/ammunition for life.
Justice Brandy Shaw handed down the sentence in court on Thursday after previously saying more time would be needed.
**This is a breaking news update, previous story follows**
According to an agreed statement of facts, Bell of Elnora, aged 43, was driving at a speed of almost 200 kilometers per hour while under the influence on June 17 when his vehicle rear-ended the car in which Boyce and Halford in it on Highway 21, just north of Trochu, Alta.
The collision pushed the young Calgary couple’s vehicle across the center line and into the path of an oncoming semi-trailer truck.
Boyce, 20, and Halford, 21, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Bell also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing bodily harm to the passenger of the vehicle he was operating as well as refusing to provide a blood sample.
Thursday’s sentencing hearing, scheduled for 9:30 a.m., follows a full day of court in Drumheller, Alta., where 72 victim impact statements were read from close family members and friends of Boyce and Halford.
The defense lawyer, Hugh Sommerville, insists that alcohol did not play much of a factor in the accident, but rather that Bell’s use of drugs caused more concern.
He is arguing for a sentence of between three and seven years.
Crown prosecutor Ron Simenik will seek the maximum penalty possible.
Boyce and Halford had been dating for three years before the accident and are described by loved ones as “a young couple with the promise of a bright future.”
They are both remembered for their beautiful smiles and their deep love for each other.
Boyce is survived by her parents, Andrew and Corey, along with her brother, Evan.
He was a two-year member of the Calgary Police Service cadets and an advocate for animal rights.
Her family says she is an intelligent young woman who is looking forward to starting her fourth year at the University of Calgary, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations.
The Macy Boyce Memorial Award has since been established with the post-secondary institution to ensure that her legacy and love of learning continues.
Halford is survived by his parents, Craig and Susan, and a sister, Brittany.
He is known by his family for his caring personality, calm demeanor and inspiring athleticism, having competed at the highest level in amateur wakesurfing, and for fostering many friendships across the world.
He was studying his third year of civil engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, and worked in civil construction the three summers before his death.
To honor Boyce and Halford, family members and friends launched the ME Project last year – an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of impaired driving.
‘She changed my world’
A victim impact statement read aloud in court by Boyce’s mother on Wednesday outlined the deeply loving and unforgettable relationship she had with her daughter.
Corey MacPherson recounted the moment she was pregnant with Boyce and watching the 9/11 terrorist attacks on television.
She shouted at her husband, asking why she was bringing a child into the world, and his response was, “because our child might be the one to change.”
“Macy changed the world, as she influenced those she was associated with. My world changed, as she became her mother and had the privilege of raising her, watching her grow, learn, love and laughing,” MacPherson said.
“It will be 20 forever. We will never have new memories, new photos, new stories. It bothers me how far now I have to scroll to find the most recent photos of Macy, taken the week she was killed.”
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MacPherson went on to describe her extreme difficulty coping with the loss of her child, which includes her inability to sleep, extreme fatigue and inability to work.
On the last call she had with her daughter, the night of the accident, Boyce had talked about how excited she was to see Halford and to spend a weekend in the cabin together for the first time in months.
“Our phone call ended naturally, with each of us saying, ‘I love you.’ At 10 pm I checked my phone, saw Macy’s location and went to bed, knowing she was about an hour from the cabin,” MacPherson read in court as tears streamed down her face.
“It bothers me to know that the time Macy was killed is the exact time I looked at her location, completely unaware that she was dead.”
Boyce’s aunt, Erin Dueck, also spoke.
She said she missed her niece’s “goofy laugh” and “memories of us sitting on the back deck, laughing until we cried.”
Dueck also spoke of the extremely intense and loving relationship Boyce had with her son.
“I feel sad for my son. My sweet autistic boy who keeps asking why Macy doesn’t send him weekly videos anymore. He loved her long blonde hair. He loved seeing what glasses she was wearing that day,” Dueck said.
“I’m worried about my nephew, who lost two people his age in one swoop. I hate to see him beaten in despair and shock. I can’t imagine how a teenager dares imagining his future when children are only a few years older than him can probably be wiped from the earth in a few violent seconds.
‘It will affect my life forever’
Halford’s father, Craig Halford, began his victim impact statement by reading the final texts he sent his son.
His son and Boyce were on their way to visit him for Father’s Day weekend at his cabin, but had not yet arrived that night.
His texts to his son on the night of June 17, 2022, were as follows:
- 10:43 pm – “Where are you boys?”;
- 11:26 pm – “Just wanted to know you’re safe, we’re leaving at 7:45 am”; a
- 1:19 am – “Hey there! Respond.”
“I had extreme anxiety and I was thinking the worst,” Halford said.
“I called 911 and gave them the information. They said there was an accident on Highway 21 and nothing could be confirmed.”
He left his cabin to look for his son and later learned from RCMP that he had been killed in an accident.
“No one will ever understand what I went through that night,” he said in court.
“I will never understand this, and it will affect my life forever. Everyone and I who are here today, as well as all the other friends and family will never see or speak to Ethan and Macy again.
“The guilt I have because Ethan and Macy are on their way to visit me, on Father’s Day, the guilt I have that Andrew (Macy’s father) had to ruin Father’s Day weekend will be a memory forever from that night.”
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He told the court that he always reminded his son that every decision has consequences and that good decisions will lead to a more successful life.
He is worried that his impact statement will have little influence on the sentence Bell receives.
“Richard Bell made a conscious decision to drive dangerously, as he was charged. He killed our children. Two of the charges he has pleaded guilty to receive a maximum sentence of life in prison,” he said.
“The agreed statement of facts showed he was driving 197 kilometers per hour. He applied maximum braking just 1.5 seconds before impact. How dangerous do you have to drive to get a ‘result’ to the maximum sentence as prescribed by law?”
‘Feels like I’ve lost a brother’
Kaitlin Laine is a childhood friend who grew up with Halford and reflected on the many times they played games, laughed and spent holidays together at their cabin.
She has two sisters, but Ethan was the brother she never had.
“Losing Ethan feels like I’ve lost a brother, and it’s devastating beyond words,” Laine said.
“One of my biggest fears before their deaths was not being able to say goodbye or say ‘I love you’ one last time to my friends or family. One of my biggest fears was literally losing someone I love to love him without warning. That fear.” It came true on 17 June.”
Laine said Boyce had become a big part of their group of friends, and missing out on birthdays, celebrations and a future wedding between the couple was an unbearable thought.
Speaking directly to Bell in the courtroom, she called his actions “selfish” and “reckless,” noting that the pain he caused will never go away.
Laine talked about her fear of driving on the highway because of impaired drivers and she admits that she is afraid of crossing roads.
“You (Cloch) have sentenced us to a life of pain and grief remembering all that Ethan and Macy could have done and who they would have been. We have spent 691 days missing them, and it will be we now have to spend tens of thousands more.” losing them as our lives go on,” Laine said.
“Until the day I die, I will continue to live my life for Ethan Halford and Macy Boyce, and I will never stop saying their names and fighting for justice for them.”
Bell was consuming alcohol, hydromorphone and fentanyl
In an agreed statement of facts, the court heard that Bell had consumed two Twisted Tea alcoholic drinks while driving to Hanna, Alta., for food on June 17 in his gray Kia Forte.
Earlier that day, he had also fallen off a ladder while working, which aggravated an existing back injury.
To cope with pain problems, he self-medicated with Tylenol 3s (with codeine) and non-prescribed doses of hydromorphone and oxycodone.
After finishing her grocery shopping, Bell then picked up two friends and started driving back to Elnora.
During the journey, Bell asked one of his passengers to squeeze him a dose of hydromorphone.
Shortly after consuming what he believed to be crushed hydromorphone, Bell was told that he had in fact received a dose of fentanyl.
Bell pulled over briefly, concerned that he would be adversely affected by the opioid, for which he also did not have a valid prescription.
Almost 200 kilometers per hour
Believing he was not adversely affected, Bell ate some chips and a sports drink before continuing his drive.
His passengers described him as “groggy” and appearing to slow down a number of times.
In the once-agreed statement of facts, Bell swerved into the oncoming traffic lane, narrowly avoiding a vehicle traveling southbound on Highway 21.
According to witness reports, Bell continued to drive north on Highway 21 and at 9:55 pm, he rear-ended a Hyundai Elantra that was also traveling in the same direction.
Bell was driving 196 to 197 kilometers per hour and did not apply any braking until 1.5 seconds before the collision, which slowed his Kia to 171 kilometers per hour at the point of impact with the Hyundai.
The Hyundai, driven by Boyce with Halford as a passenger, was traveling 101 kilometers per hour on the highway with a posted speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour.
As a result of the collision, Bell’s Kia pushed the Hyundai into the southbound lane of Highway 21 and into the path of a pickup truck traveling at 70 kilometers per hour.
Halford was ejected from the Hyundai and died instantly, while Boyce was located deceased in the driver’s seat, still restrained by her seat belt.
Bell was found unconscious and had to be cut out of his seat belt to remove him from his vehicle.
One of his passengers then injected Bell with a dose of naloxone, before he regained consciousness and was treated by paramedics at the scene.
CTV News reached out to the Bell family for comment but did not hear back.
