A woman who pleaded guilty to manslaughter after killing a Kelowna woman with a wine bottle in a Vernon hotel room could face up to nine years in prison.

Paige Courtney Howse, 30, stood in BC Supreme Court in Vernon for a sentencing hearing on Friday, May 17, more than four years after she killed 33-year-old Alishia Lemp on February 27, 2020.

Howse was originally charged with second-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in September 2023.

In an agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Margaret Cissell told the court that Howse and Lemp had been friends and both worked in the sex industry.

She said that on the night of the murder, Lemp bought a 1.5-liter bottle of wine and took it to room 206 of the Canada Best Value Inn and Suites on 32nd Street, where she and Howse were staying, after the two went on an outing had gone. to Lake City Casino.

“It is believed the wine bottle was used by Ms. Howse to deliver more than one punch, resulting in the death of Ms. Lemp during the morning hours of February 27, 2020,” Cissell said.

In the late hours of February 26, Howse and Lemp are seen returning to the hotel on security video.

“This is the last time Ms. Lemp is seen alive as she goes into room 206 and never leaves again,” Cissell told the court.

The court heard that other guests at the hotel heard “shouting and arguing” coming from the hotel room in the early hours of February 27. One person reported hearing popping noises that lasted for about three hours.

Later that morning, the Crown said Howse contacted a hotel guest via Facebook Messenger, saying: “Something bad happened, she and her friend got into an argument and she didn’t think she was breathing.” The man told Howse to call 911. She didn’t, and instead asked him if he had any alcohol.

The man went to Howse’s room, but Howse refused to open the door for him. She asked him if he knew CPR; he didn’t. The man looked through the window of the room and saw a woman lying face down on the floor.

Howse was seen on CCTV leaving the hotel room on the morning of February 28. Cissell said that was the last time she was seen before she was located and detained by police in Kelowna on March 1.

Later that day, on February 28, two staff members entered the hotel room and discovered a trail of blood leading from the front door to the bathroom. They followed the blood trail to the bathroom, where they found Lemp’s body.

Police arrived immediately and discovered that Lemp’s body was already cold and her fingers had turned gray. They noted that the hotel room was in complete disarray, with broken glass and computer parts, alcohol containers on the floor, and the TV in the room face down on the bed.

“Hundreds” of blood spatter were found in the hotel room, Cissell told the court.

An autopsy revealed that Lemp died of blunt force trauma to the head, and her injuries included multiple skull fractures.

The Crown called for Howse to spend seven to nine years in prison, while defense lawyer Mark Swartz argued for a sentence of one to four years in prison, less time served, followed by two years of probation.

Swartz argued that it is unclear what exactly happened in the hotel room the night of Lemp’s death. He pointed out the fact that Howse ended up with two black eyes and broken nails, indicating that Howse was trying to defend himself.

“I don’t think the court can come to any conclusion as to who initiated it,” Swartz said.

Swartz continued, saying his client had an “unfortunate history,” adding that she had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He said Howse may have been experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the incident.

However, Cissell said she believed Howse’s schizophrenia was not a significant factor in the killing.

Cissell called Howse a “poor historian” and said her story about her upbringing and past relationships changed depending on who she spoke to. Cissell added that Howse seemed to be having difficulty with her memory, noting that there were inconsistencies in terms of what she remembered and what she did not remember throughout the case, either due to medications she is currently taking or those she was using at the time of the murder.

Howse was scheduled to appear in person at the sentencing, but Judge Ann Donegan said there was a “mix-up” so she appeared by video instead. At the end of the sentencing hearing, Donegan gave Howse a chance to speak. Howse apologized for the “choices” she made, especially her decision not to call 911.

Donegan reserved her judgement. Howse will appear in person in Vernon on Friday, May 31, so Donegan can make her decision.

READ MORE: Accused in Vernon motel manslaughter of Kelowna woman convicted in May

Barcelona Femeni defeated Real Sociedad 8-0 in the Copa de la Reina final at Real Zaragoza’s La Romareda stadium on Saturday.

The victory means the team remains on course to win a quadruple for the first time this season, as the league title has been secured, the Spanish Super Cup was claimed in January and the Champions League final against Lyon will take place on May 25.

But for now, this incredible team can brilliantly celebrate winning the Copa de la Reina with another set of goals. They also did it in front of 25,617 fans – a record for a final in the tournament.

Ona Batlle opened the score after just five minutes after a nice build-up, before Salma Paralleulo made it 2-0 after 13 minutes with a beautiful header.

Barcelona played some beautiful things and it didn’t take long before they were completely out of sight. Caroline Graham Hansen scored twice in seven minutes to make it 4-0.

Another goal from Batlle just after the half-hour mark put Barcelona 5-0 up at half-time and it’s not unfair to say they could have led by a bigger margin at half-time.

Even after the break, the goals continue to flow in. Mariona Caldentey was in action with a brace, while Claudia Pina also got on the scoresheet as Barca emerged victorious 8-0.

That’s already three trophies under their belt and Barcelona now enter next week’s Champions League final in very good form.

What. A team.

Had things gone differently, the Carolina Hurricanes would have woken up in Manhattan on Saturday morning and prepared for a Game 7 playoff showdown with the New York Rangers.

But things didn’t go any other way.

The Rangers, not the Hurricanes, won Game 6 at PNC Arena on Thursday to end the Stanley Cup second round and avoid a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. That forced the Carolina players to undergo exit interviews at PNC Arena earlier than expected.

There was a lot to talk about: pending unrestricted free agents, injuries, the salary cap, contracts, arbitration, who might go, who might re-sign and who might go. That’s not how the Canes wanted to spend their Saturday, talking about what could have been and what could have been.

Among the UFAs still pending is defenseman Brett Pesce, who did not play after suffering an injury in Game 2 of the Canes’ first-round series against the New York Islanders. Pesce said Saturday that he suffered a broken fibula near his left ankle, causing him to first block a shot in the game and then further hurt his leg during a non-contact play as he turned to skate across the ice.

No surgery was required, but Pesce remained a troubled observer in the playoffs.

‘I tried to come back. I was close,” Pesce said of returning. “I clearly wasn’t feeling my best. But I was hoping that we could work out the rest of this round and that I could come back for the next series.

Pesce said he is “hopeful” a contract deal can be reached to keep him with the team that drafted him in 2013, saying, “I still feel like we can get it done.” He is also hopeful that his defensive partner, Brady Skjei, can also manage to stay and not leave in free agency.

“We certainly don’t want our story to end. We both want to be back, that’s pretty clear,” Pesce said.

Among the forwards who will be UFAs are Teuvo Teravainen, a key part of Carolina’s lineup the past eight seasons, and Jake Guentzel, a newcomer to the fold after coming over from the Pittsburgh Penguins in what was considered the most important transaction of the NHL trade deadline. .

Always a pass-first, shoot-later player, Teravainen is coming off a season in which the Finnish winger scored a career-high 25 goals. Guentzel, who won a Cup with the Pens, was brought in to add more experience and score more in the playoffs, finishing with four goals and nine points in the 11 playoff games.

If Guentzel’s shot in the third period on Thursday hadn’t gone off the post, off Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin’s stick, off Shesterkin’s arm and then narrowly missed the net, there might have been a Game 7 and more hockey been. But it wasn’t to be.

Guentzel was a rare “rental” for the Hurricanes, a player acquired at the deadline despite his pending UFA status to help the team win and win now. He fit easily into the lineup, into the locker room.

“I loved my experience here. It’s a great place to play,” Guentzel said.

As for a new contract, he said: “We’ll see what happens.”

Canes president and general manager Don Waddell, with the approval of team owner Tom Dundon, will decide what happens with the roster, contracts and negotiations and put everything under the cap. There are restricted free agents like forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury who are eligible for salary arbitration, adding another wrinkle to the offseason conundrum.

There is also the matter of another “free agent” – head coach Rod Brind’Amour. He needs a new contract. That must be done, but at what cost?

Brind’Amour has coached for six years and the Canes, after missing the playoffs for nine seasons, have qualified for postseason play each of his six years. They’ve won at least one playoff series every year, but second-round wins have been the highlights.

‘We are here. We are there year after year,” defenseman Jaccob Slavin said on Saturday. “But you never overcome that threshold and that is frustrating.

“If you look at the team we had, if this was definitely the year we were going to do it, it would be this year. So from that point of view it’s frustrating.”

It won’t be the same group next season that makes another attempt to get over that ‘hump’. It never is. Changes are coming.

“It’s never fun to have that happen,” Slavin said. “At best you bring them all back, but I think most of those guys all deserve to make more money. They have all played very well in their time here. I hope we can bring them all back because they are all guys with good character and good friends.

“It’s never a fun part of the job. … They all want to be back here, right? You can’t pay everyone, especially with how much guys make to get paid. So it will be a busy summer for the team.”

A college student went viral on TikTok after appearing on his last day of school cosplaying as a character voicing his professor in Persona 5.

The TikToker in question goes by the name LGCrusader on the platform and posted the video with the caption: “Sojiro Sakura meets Sojiro Sakura.”

The TikTok begins with the student dressed in his Sojiro Sakura cosplay, complete with a pink collared shirt, half-moon glasses, and a black pinstripe apron.

The TikToker then walked into the classroom and greeted his professor, acting instructor and voice actor Jamieson Price, before heading to his seat.

A classmate caught his attention after Price returned to his stage without noticing the cosplay. “Wow, what are you? Who are you man?” the classmate asked in a loud, exaggerated voice.

When the voice actor finally noticed, he said, “Oh my god,” before he and the rest of the class burst out laughing at the student’s cosplay.

Clearly amused by the outfit, Price asked the student to pose for a photo to commemorate the prank.

TikTok voice actor and professor Jamieson Price has voiced numerous characters in anime and video games, including Rashard Zangan in FF7 Rebirth, Paul Phoenix in Tekken 8, and of course Sojiro Sakura from Persona 5.

Bandai Namco Studios

Jamieson Price has voiced numerous characters in video games, such as Paul Phoenix in Tekken 8.

Fans in the comments were stunned to see Price in the classroom.

“Your professor is the voice actor of Sojiro Sakura. I’m so jealous,” said one user, while another said: “PAUSE UR PRO VOICES SOJIRO SAKURA??? THAT’S SO COOL.”

Others shared stories about their own professors who had also previously worked in the voice acting industry. “One of my professors voiced a character from LA Noire. Honestly hilarious,” said another user. This professor in question voiced a character known as Benny Cluff in the 2011 title.

Although college students come and go, Price likely won’t forget this cosplaying student anytime soon.

LAKEWOOD | Championship final results for the final day of the 2024 Class 5A boys state track meet, contested May 18, 2024, at Jefferson County Stadium. Aurora teams and individuals, in bold and capital letters:

Courtney Oakes is sports editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports

100-meter dash: 1. PEYTON SOMMERS (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 10.54 seconds; 2. NOAH BROWN (EAGLECREST), 10.60; 3. Jaden Lawrence (legend), 10.71; 4. Wilkins Persichina (Chaparral), 10.75; 5. Jackson Quammie (Brighton), 10.79; 6. Marcus Mozer (fossil ridge), 10.85; 7. Carson Tapia (Vista Ridge), 10.87; 8. WONDAME DAVIS JR. (OVERLAND), 10.91; Dagan Myers (Chatfield) DNS

110 meters hurdles: 1. Kyler Lewis (Fountain Fort-Carson), 14.36 seconds (14.355); 2. JAHEIM ALEXANDER (RANGEVIEW), 14.36 (14.358); 3. SOLOMON GRIFFEN (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 2:59 p.m.; 4. ZUMARI STIVERS (OVERLAND), 14.76; 5. Jackson Conroy (Loveland), 14.77; 6. Diego Estebanes (Broomfield), 14.80; 7. Logan Heppe (Rock Canyon), 14.90; 8. Jack Mokol (ThunderRidge), 14.93; 9. Kyle Phipps (Ralston Valley), 15.08

400-meter dash: 1. PEYTON SOMMERS (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 46.59 seconds; 2. KAHARI WILBON (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 47.64; 3. Jameson Leigh (Denver East), 47.79; 4. William McDavid (Cherry Creek), 48.03; 5. KAELAN KOMBO (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 48.32; 6. Collin Koenig (Lakewood), 48.77; 7. Gery Lockman (Poudre), 48.82; 8. Ryan Fick (Valor Christian), 48.88; 9. Alex Sweeney (Erie), 49.49

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