Note: This story contains some graphic details that some readers may find disturbing.
NORTH BAY — Tears ran Nov. 13 as a longtime family friend of Bradley Armstrong quietly carried a small box containing the 60-year-old’s ashes.
“I picked up his ashes from the funeral home when they were ready,” said Gordon Manly Woods, who had known Armstrong for more than 20 years.
“I’ve had him at my house on top of my TV for the four or five years now. You know, I want to lay him to rest, but I don’t want to because we miss him dearly.”
That emotion underscored the end of a legal process as Carter Parypa of North Bay was sentenced in the North Bay Courthouse to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years for the second-degree murder and dismemberment of Armstrong on March 20, 2021.
See: Man arrested after murder on Lakeshore Drive
Dressed in a light blue long-sleeve shirt and dark navy pants, Parypa kept his gaze forward as he listened to the judge’s decision from the prisoner's box.
The court heard Parypa, who was 21 at the time of the killing, pleaded guilty to both second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body.
Justice Andrew Goodman, presiding from Hamilton, described the scene as “the most horrific, gruesome act of violence in my 15 years as a judge," noting that Parypa’s guilty plea meant a trial did not proceed and spared Armstrong’s loved ones and others from having to see the graphic photos that would have been shown.
The court heard that Armstrong was killed inside a condominium at Lake Park Estates, located at 450 Lakeshore Drive, before Parypa used a machete and other instruments to dismember the body.
See: Police name person detained in Lakeshore murder investigation
And: Police identify victim in weekend murder
Both the Crown and Defence proposed a joint submission for a 10-year parole ineligibility period—a position the judge ultimately accepted.
Justice Goodman explained that extensive psychiatric evidence was presented, including a 58-page report detailing Parypa’s long history of mental health struggles, substance use, and trauma.
The court heard Parypa had previously stayed at psychiatric facilities, including South Lake in Newmarket and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and had dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and multiple substance use disorders.
In the psychiatric report, the court heard Parypa had told a doctor he had blacked out during the incident and later followed guidance from television shows on how to deal with the body.
Justice Goodman noted that mitigating factors—including Parypa’s guilty plea, lack of prior record, and mental health and drug issues—weighed in the sentencing.
He also acknowledged that Parypa turned himself in to the police through his parents and had been cooperative, though inconsistent, in his statements.
The judge added that conditions during Parypa’s time in custody had been difficult, including being attacked while in jail.
Parypa’s life sentence was backdated to the date of his arrest on March 20, 2021. The five-year sentence for indignity to a dead body will run concurrently. He is also subject to a lifetime weapons prohibition and required to provide a DNA sample.
“It’s obviously a very difficult case,” Defence lawyer Luba Szkambara told media outside the courthouse.
“His Honour had a very difficult decision to make. And I believe that His Honour made that decision based in the law and was able to put aside the very real emotional impact of this case in order to focus on the law and what was best for all parties.”
Szkambara also noted a recommendation that Parypa serve his time at the Correctional Service of Canada Regional Treatment Centre at Millhaven, a facility specializing in offenders with mental health needs.
“It was certainly a question that I wanted His Honour to address,” she said of the recommendation to that specific facility.
“As the evidence came out, there were mental health issues. I think that being able to address those issues is key, not just for Mr. Parypa, but for many people who find themselves in the criminal justice system."
For Armstrong’s loved ones, the sentencing brought a small measure of closure, though the pain remains.
“I’m feeling a little victory,” said Woods, holding back tears. “I thought he should have got 25 years instead of 10 … You take a life, your life should be given. But at least I can lay Brad to rest now.”
Woods described Armstrong as a gentle, generous man as well as a musician and friend who “wouldn’t have harmed a flea.”
“He would have given you the shirt off his back,” he said, his voice breaking. “It was very uncalled for.”
When asked what he would say to Parypa, Woods paused. “Why?” he said.
“Why would you do that to such an innocent person that would have given you anything you wanted in life?”