A 24-year-old man will spend at least five years in prison for the murder of Canberra man Glenn Walewicz after being sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court today.
Gary Taylor was among three people allegedly sent to steal drugs and money from a unit in Phillip in Canberra's south when Mr Walewicz was killed in June 2021.
The court heard the group mistakenly went to Mr Walewicz's unit, and when the door was opened, someone who was with Taylor, whose identity cannot be revealed because he was 17 at the time, shot and killed him.
Justice David Mossop described the incident as a case of "mistaken identity" which he said made Mr Walewicz's death particularly tragic.
"He did not know his killers and was entirely innocent," Justice Mossop said.
"His family and friends will continue to suffer for many years."
CCTV footage from a nearby apartment shows how the incident played out, beginning with a knock on the door and one of the masked visitors drawing a pump-action rifle.
The ABC has chosen not to show the moment the gun was fired, hitting Mr Walewicz in the neck and chest.
The group can then be seen fleeing the scene.
'I was his mum but I was also his best friend'
Taylor pleaded guilty to the murder in August 2022.
Though Taylor did not shoot Mr Walewicz, under ACT criminal law he was found liable, as he knew his co-accused was armed and the circumstances of the intended crime carried the risk of someone committing murder.
Today, Mr Walewicz's mother's victim impact statement was read to the court by her daughter.
In the statement, Jenny Walewicz said her son's death had left a hole in her life that could "not be filled".
"I sometimes wander around Canberra visiting the places Glenn and I used to go together," the letter stated.
"I was his mum but I was also his best friend. … Nothing can compensate. It is a damning thing. A forever thing."
Defence lawyer Taden Kelliher argued that Taylor's early guilty plea and genuine remorse for his actions were significant sentencing considerations.
The court also heard that Taylor experienced a difficult upbringing and had struggled with substance abuse since his teenage years.
Justice Mossop accepted the relevance of the guilty plea, and handed down a discounted sentence of 10 years and three months.
Justice Mossop agreed with the statement, written in a provided letter from Taylor's childhood friend that Taylor was "a follower, rather than a leader" and it was noteworthy that he was not the organiser of the crime.
Taylor will be eligible for parole in December 2027.
The gunman will be sentenced at a later date.
Others allegedly involved in the crime will return to court later this year.
