Steven Jones, who admitted to killing woman and attempting to kill a man, will be sentenced in May

The man who made a surprise guilty plea partway through his murder trial earlier this month will be sentenced in the spring.

Steven Jones, 27, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted murder in a Sault Ste. Marie courtroom on Jan. 13, a week and a half into an expected four-week trial.

In court today, Justice Michael Varpio said a Gladue report has been ordered to assist with the sentencing, but it will likely take eight to 10 weeks to be produced.

In general, a Gladue report is produced to inform judges before sentencing an Indigenous person in Canada. The report offers perspective on community histories and the circumstances that brought a guilty party before the court.

Varpio said the earliest he would be able to consider sentencing would be in May.

"The reality is, the earliest we could have done this is April. I can’t make April work, I can’t make May work — but I will make May work," said Varpio.

He offered a number of available dates and asked acting Crown Attorney Trent Wilson and Jones’ defence team to nail down a specific day.

By waiting until May, the hope is to have the report in hand and sentencing declared on the same day.

If the sentencing date was made at an earlier date, Varpio said it ran the risk of the report not being ready and another date having to be selected further down the road.

To assist with the process, Varpio asked Wilson and defence lawyer David Hakim to submit their joint sentencing recommendation in writing ahead of time for consideration.

Hakim was acting as an agent for Jones’ primary defence attorney, Andrew Furgiuele.

Family members of murder victim Taylor Marshall were in attendance in person and by video conference for today’s appearance. Jones did not appear, but was represented in court by his attorneys.

The Crown and defence have agreed on a joint submission for sentencing, but the penalty has not been discussed in open court.

In Canada, a second-degree murder conviction carries a life sentence, but the parole ineligibility period, which is set by the court, ranges from 10 to 25 years.

According to the agreed statement of facts read in Jones’ previous appearance, Taylor, 22, was killed on the morning of Sept. 7, 2023 when returning to her John Street apartment after a job interview.

Jones had gained entry to the apartment while she was out.

During Taylor’s autopsy, Jones’ DNA was found under the fingernails on her right hand.

Jones then made his way to the boardwalk, where he was caught on video in a random stabbing attack against Frenette.

Both attacks were determined to have been random.