One by one, relatives of Victoria Selby-Readman expressed their concern about their own safety and the safety of others at the sentencing hearing for Richard Isaac, the man found guilty of Selby-Readman’s second-degree murder.
“I will never trust a roommate again. The women of our family feel unsafe, constantly looking over their shoulders,” said Selby-Readman’s cousin, Sunny Stranks, through a Zoom link.
Genni Selby, Selby-Readman’s mother, sat in the witness box in the same courtroom where Isaac sat in the prisoner’s box surrounded by court officers and explained how the brutal murder of her beloved daughter has been an intensely personal and painful experience to deal with.
“Richard Isaac is an extremely dangerous man who poses an enormous threat to others, particularly young women and their families. He has proven himself to be a manipulative predator capable of profound and unprovoked acts of violence that have resulted in serious harm and/or death to his victims,” Selby said.
In October, a jury found 44-year-old Isaac guilty of the second-degree murder of Selby-Readman in June 2018 after only two days of deliberations.
The court heard that 28-year-old Selby-Readman needed money to help pay the rent for her Richmond Street bachelor apartment and met Isaac online. He had moved in three weeks earlier and she wanted him to leave.
Crown Attorney Tania Monteiro told Justice Brian O’Marra that Selby-Readman lost her life over a senseless dispute.
“She took him in to help pay the rent and she felt sorry for him. He took advantage of her. He killed her in her own home. A place where someone should feel safe and secure,” Monteiro said.
Selby-Readman was stomped on and kicked by Isaac during a prolonged attack while she remained defenceless on the floor. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and neck. She suffered both a broken neck and a fractured jaw.
Monteiro told O’Marra that after Selby-Readman’s death, Isaac remained in her unit for up to 60 hours and took steps to conceal his involvement in the crime. When her father came looking for her after he became concerned, she was unrecognizable even to him.
She said what Selby-Readman did not know was that her roommate had a history of violence “premised on hateful misogynistic offences towards women.” He had eight convictions involving three intimate partners and in two of those cases, Isaac kicked the woman while she was down. Isaac also had a criminal history of disregarding court orders and warrants in regards to women, Monteiro explained.
At the time of his arrest for Selby-Readman’s murder, there was a warrant out for his arrest in Durham Region involving a domestic incident. The crown also highlighted that Isaac has shown no remorse for his crime.
“He targeted those who were most vulnerable to him,” Monteiro said.
“Many women in her (Selby-Readman’s) inner circle feel their own sense of safety and security compromised.”
A conviction for second-degree murder comes with an automatic life sentence with a period of parole ineligibility between 10 and 25 years. The jury before being discharged were able to leave recommendations for the judge as to what they believed would be an appropriate period of parole ineligibility.
The crown told the judge that nine of 12 jurors recommended Isaac spend 25 years in prison before being eligible for parole. Monteiro told the judge they believe a period of 18 years in jail before being eligible for parole would be appropriate.
Daniel Brodsky, Isaac’s lawyer, suggested that his client should be eligible to apply for parole after serving just 12 years in prison.
Isaac was then given an opportunity to say a few words to the family and friends of the victim who were watching in court, listening in from one of two overflow courtrooms or watching on zoom remotely. Isaac, who could barely be heard on video, said he was innocent and told her family, he felt sorry for Selby-Readman’s family.
The judge will deliver his sentence later this month.