Crown, defence present sentencing arguments for Neville

As crown and defense lawyers presented their arguments for the amount of jail time Steven Neville should serve before he is eligible for parole, the mother of the man he murdered said part of her "heart and soul" died with the death of her son.

Neville has been sitting through a sentencing hearing in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court for the past couple of days.

A jury convicted Neville of second-degree murder in the October 2010 stabbing death of Flynn, 19. Neville was also convicted of the attempted murder of another man, Ryan Dwyer.

The law automatically gives a life sentence for second-degree murder, but allows for parole after 10 years served.

In Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court on Wednesday, crown attorney Robin Fowler argued that Neville should serve 15 years before being eligible for parole.

Fowler said Neville gave in to anger, caused many people a lot of pain, and has shown no remorse for his crimes.

Neville's defence lawyer, Peter Ralph, said his client should be eligible for parole after serving 10 years. He argued Neville's low IQ came with an impairment of judgement, and thatprovokedhis violent behaviour.

Ralph added that Neville has shown signs of maturing in custody, and the decision on how far he will progress in the next 10 years should be up to a parole board then, not to sentencing now.

Mother of victim gives statement

On Tuesday, the mother of the man whom Steven Neville killed on a Paradise street in 2010 has given a heart-wrenching statement to Supreme Court.

"When I lost my son, part of my heart and soul died with him," Gloria Bishop, the mother of Doug Flynn, toldthe court.

"I lost my best friend. The emptiness, loneliness and the numbness haunt me every day and night," Bishop wrote in the statement.

Bishop sat just feet away from Neville, whose lawyers had argued that their client had acted in self-defence in the bloody confrontation on Carlisle Drive in the otherwise quiet Elizabeth Park subdivision.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Flynn died of a stab wound to the head.

"I promised to protect him and I felt like I failed him. The feeling of guilt consumed me for a long time until I realized there was nothing I could have done to prevent Steven Neville's crimes," Bishop said.

Bishop, who has another son who is now four years old, said she regrets what the young boy has also lost.

"He was too young to remember his big brother holding him in his arms. He was robbed of a big brother and any real memories of him and a loving relationship with him that he could have had," she said.

Bishop said she is personally living a life sentence, and that forgiveness no longer lives in her heart.

Justice Carl Thompson said he will have a decision on Neville's sentencing on Wednesday of next week.