David Stephan's 'Dear Jury' letter could haunt him at sentencing, law experts say

Law experts say the "Dear Jury" letter DavidStephanposted to Facebookafter being convicted in the death of his son Ezekiel may come back to haunt himwhen he faces the court to be sentenced.

On Tuesday, a jury foundDavidand his wife,ColletStephan,guilty of failing to provide the necessaries of life to their toddler Ezekiel,who died from meningitis.

The next day, David posteda stinging rebuke of the way the case was handled,addressed directly to jurors.

The online message blasted what David described as the "deception, drama and trickery" of the Crown, which he said hasled to "a dangerous precedent being set in Canada."

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Criminal defence lawyerAdrianoIovinellisaid publicly lashing out at the justice system can be risky for someone awaiting sentencing after a criminal conviction.

"This individual is still before the courts and is criticizing both the Crown prosecutor and essentially the trial process itself,and that never bodes well for someone who is appearing before the courts for sentencing," he said.

PeterSankoff, whoteaches in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta, said theFacebookpostgoes beyond "just expressing dismay with the verdict" and could have some impact on the sentence the judge ultimately hands down.

"It's sort of impugning the repute of both the Crown and the system,"Sankoffsaid ofStephan'sletter to jurors.

"So it's definitely possible the Crown would try to tender it in sentencing and to suggest that it's an aggravating feature that should be considered."

David andColletStephanare due back in court in June, when a sentencing date is to be set.

The maximum penalty for failing to provide the necessaries of life is five years in prison.

• Alberta parents convicted in toddler's meningitis death
• David Stephan blasts 'Crown's deception, drama and trickery' inletter to jury
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