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Indigenous woman’s background, trauma justify house arrest for DUI crash that killed her best friend: judge

An Indigenous woman from Winnipeg who killed her best friend and roommate in a drunk driving accident three years ago will be allowed to serve her sentence at home, largely because of her racial background and “life circumstances … shaped by a history of trauma and discrimination,” a judge ruled last month.

Jayden Starr Okemow, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of driving with a blood alcohol level exceeding .08 causing the death of Hayley Linklater, but only after the Crown called the majority of its witnesses.

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