A Canadian man convicted of manslaughter in the stabbing death of a U.S. sailor was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison.
Justice Felix Cacchione of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court sentenced Cory Wright to 15 years, but reduced his time in jail to 11 years after taking into account time already served.
Wright pleaded guilty two years ago to fatally stabbing Damon Crooks during a 2006 bar brawl at a Halifax, Nova Scotia nightclub.
Crooks, a 28-year-old sailor from Jacksonville, Florida, was serving on the USS Doyle, one of two American naval vessels in Nova Scotia to take part in exercises with the Canadian navy.
Crooks left behind a pregnant fiancee, Schyla Washington, who gave birth to a girl almost two months after the killing.
Members of his family remembered Crooks in court as a hero who was attempting to help others when the brawl broke out and spilled onto the street.
Wright, who was arrested within minutes of the stabbing, was on parole at the time for attempted murder in connection with a 2002 stabbing.
Wright, 26, must serve a minimum of 5 1/2 years before he is eligible for parole.
