Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas has sentenced Jesse Meloche to a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 years.

Meloche pleaded guilty in February in the stabbing death of 40-year-old Lance Peter Smoke. The incident took place Nov. 24, 2011.

“It was a fair sentence,” says defence lawyer Dan Scott. “Certainly it was the lowest the judge could give Mr. Meloche."

The court heard Meloche and his wife were in the process of adopting Smoke's son.

“He's tormented by this,” says Scott. “His actions from November 2011 will haunt him for the rest of his life."

An altercation erupted at Smoke's home in the 1400 block of Albert Road.

Smoke was stabbed 10 times, with most of the wounds to his back.

"In the heat of a physical altercation, ten stab wounds happen fairly quickly in a struggle, seconds," says Scott.

The Windsor courtroom heard victim impact statements from Smoke's mother and grandmother. His grandmother told the court, “It hurts so bad, I feel drained with heartbreak."

Meloche also addressed the court saying “I'm ashamed. I accept that I'm now a murderer."

With Meloche pleading guilty, he already received a mandatory life sentence. Monday's hearing was about parole eligibility.

Scott and representatives from the Crown were both asking for parole eligibility after 10 years.