Christopher Weaver faces ACT Supreme Court over manslaughter of Laura Crncevic
“This is a sad case. It’s a tragedy,” a killer’s barrister has told a court after a man injected his partner with a lethal quantity of heroin. Here’s the latest from court.
Canberra Star
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A drug addict and his partner threw out an overdose antidote before he injected her with a lethal quantity of heroin during an anniversary celebration, a court has heard.
“This is a sad case. It’s a tragedy,” defence barrister James Sabharwal told the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday, when Christopher Roy Weaver faced a sentence hearing.
Weaver, a security guard from Kambah in Canberra’s south, had previously pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and administering a declared substance without authorisation.
He has been behind bars on remand since July 2023, nearly two years after he accidentally killed partner Laura Crncevic at the home the couple shared in the ACT suburb of Florey.
The courts have previously heard Weaver, a self-described “junkie” who used heroin every 12 hours, injected himself on August 19, 2021.
He then administered the drug to Ms Crncevic, who overdosed.
On Thursday, prosecutor Skye Jerome told the court the couple had “earlier thrown out the Narcan”, referring to a medication commonly used to restore breathing after an opioid overdose.
Ms Jerome also said Weaver, 40, had agreed to inject Ms Crncevic with a larger than usual dose of heroin despite being aware she had significant pre-existing health conditions.
Furthermore, he did not measure the amount he administered before performing the injection.
Ms Jerome said Weaver had also reported noticing a residue that should have given him, as an experienced heroin user, cause for concern about this particular batch.
The courts have previously heard Weaver bought the heroin in question from a dealer he referred to as “Junkie John”.
Much of Thursday’s sentence hearing was dedicated to submissions about a mental health report prepared by psychiatrist Joey Le.
Ms Jerome said Dr Le had found Weaver may have been suffering from mental health issues at the time in question, but they were not causally connected to his offending.
She also addressed the issue of the sentencing discount Weaver should receive for pleading guilty, urging Justice Belinda Baker to take into account the overwhelming strength of the prosecution case.
Mr Sabharwal argued the case was only overwhelmingly strong because of Weaver, who had made a series of admissions to civilians and police.
“But for his admission that he injected [Ms Crncevic], there’s no case,” the defence barrister told the court.
Justice Baker ultimately reserved her decision, saying she hoped to hand down a sentence “soon”.
“This is a very difficult sentencing exercise in a very tragic case,” the judge said.
Weaver, who remains behind bars on remand, smiled and waved to supporters in the public gallery as he was led out of the courtroom.
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