Second brother in cross-burning case gets two months in jail
Posted Jan 11, 2011 01:22:32 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Both of the brothers convicted of committing a racial hate crime in East Hants last year will be spending the next two months behind bars. The younger brother, Justin Rehberg, was sentenced Tuesday to two months in jail.
The judge accepted a joint recommendation from the crown and defense for a two month combined sentence. On Monday, Crown Attorney, Darrell Carmichael, recommended that Justin’s older brother, Nathan Rehberg, serve two years in a federal penitentiary for his role in the crime. Even though the two brothers are equally charged, Carmichael says he feels more sympathetic to Justin.
“Justin accepted responsibility and expressed remorse from the beginning,” Carmichael says. “And while he didn’t plead guilty (to incitement of hatred), he proceeded to trail on an agreed statement of facts so we didn’t have to call any witnesses and put them through that.”
Nathan Rehberg has been sentenced to six months in jail but also received four months credit for time already served. Carmichael says he made the recommendation for Justin’s sentence based on based on Nathan’s because he doesn’t think it would be fair for Justin to end up serving more time than his older brother.
“I would have like to have seen tougher sentences for both of them,” Carmichael says.
The two brothers are charged with criminal harassment and incitement of hatred for burning a cross on the lawn of an interracial couple last February.
