Indigenous Woman Serving Life Sentence Receives Additional Time
A Cree woman who is one of Canada's longest-serving female inmates has been handed an additional 12-month prison sentence for unlawfully confining two correctional officers at a Nova Scotia prison. Serena Tobaccojuice, who was previously known as Serena Nicotine, received this sentence on top of her existing life term for a murder committed when she was just 15 years old.
Violent Past and Recent Offense
Tobaccojuice has been incarcerated for more than 25 years since pleading guilty to second-degree murder for the 1997 killing of Helen Montgomery in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. The 58-year-old group home operator was brutally attacked, struck with a cast-iron frying pan and stabbed 15 times with a kitchen knife.
The recent conviction stems from an incident at the Nova Institution for Women in 2022, where Tobaccojuize used a pair of tweezers that she had bent into a sharp point to prevent two guards from leaving a unit. According to court documents, the confrontation lasted less than 20 minutes before guards used pepper spray and handcuffs to subdue her.
Legal Arguments and Sentencing Decision
Her lawyer, Jeremiah Raining Bird, had requested a complete discharge, arguing that the courts had never properly considered her traumatic history and Indigenous identity. Judge Ian Hutchison of the Truro provincial court acknowledged that the nearly year-long sentencing process violated Tobaccojuice's right to a timely trial, resulting in a three-month reduction from what would have been a 15-month sentence.
Raining Bird expressed disappointment with the outcome, noting that the additional time would further delay his client's eligibility to apply for day parole. Despite this setback, he indicated that Tobaccojuice had been making progress in her rehabilitation and would likely continue to do so.
This isn't the first time Tobaccojuice has faced additional charges while incarcerated. Court records show she has multiple previous convictions for hostage-taking incidents during her time in the prison system.
