Michael MacPherson was sentenced Thursday afternoon to seven years in prison, minus 16 months already served, for the fatal stabbing of Tanner Sinclair in July 2014.

MacPherson, 35, was emotionless after Justice Leigh Gower of the Yukon Supreme Court delivered the sentence for manslaughter. That followed an hour of reviewing the evidence and submissions presented to the court Tuesday and Wednesday.

Gower concluded the use of a knife by MacPherson during a fight was not planned.

MacPherson did, however, stab Sinclair five times, four of the wounds occurring on the torso, including deep stab wounds to the chest area, the judge pointed out in his sentencing.

Gower noted manslaughter ranges from near murder to near accident, with sentences ranging from life in prison all the way down to suspended sentences.

In weighing the evidence for manslaughter, the court must consider whether the accused either knew his actions would likely cause bodily injury, serious bodily injury or were likely to cause life-ending injuries, he said.

Gower said the wound to Sinclair’s left chest was between 14 and 16 centimetres deep, between eight to 10 centimetres deep on his left flank and the two wounds on the upper back were between six and 10 centimetres.

Though there was evidence the 27-year-old Sinclair’s comments provoked the fight, Sinclair was unarmed, the judge said.

Facing a second-degree murder trial that was to begin this week, MacPherson entered a guilty plea to manslaughter on Feb. 1.

Crown prosecutor Eric Marcoux was seeking a sentence of eight to 10 years, citing in part the aggravated nature of the crime.

Defence lawyer Ray Dieno of Victoria was asking for four years, less a credit of 18 months for time served, citing Sinclair’s provocation as a factor in the case.

Brent Sinclair, the deceased’s father who was in Whitehorse this week to present his victim impact statement to the court along with other family members, said this morning from Alberta he is disappointed in the sentence.

As he was earlier this week, Sinclair was critical of the justice system, and how the defence lawyer tried to paint his son as the bad guy in all this.

“The reality is it’s a very different story,” he said of his son’s reputation as a loving and hardworking spouse and father, as an accomplished big game guide and hunter who’s been recognized by the hunting community.

He said the outpouring of support for the family from the time of Tanner’s death and onward, even following Thursday’s sentencing, speaks to how well thought of his son was.

Sinclair told the court in his victim impact statement that his son told him a couple of weeks prior to his death that MacPherson had twice threatened to kill him, though the comment was later stricken from the court record for lack of evidence to substantiate the allegation.

“At this point, we can’t change what happened as family members and friends,” he said this morning. “You have to look at the horizon and move ahead.”

The court also heard this week from Whitney Sandulak, the widowed spouse and mother of Sinclair’s two young daughters, one of whom was not born until after his death.

Evidence before the court indicated there was ongoing tension between Sinclair and MacPherson over mechanical issues with a truck MacPherson obtained from Sinclair in a three-way deal.

MacPherson attended a barbecue at the Copper Ridge home of Kory Basaraba, a longtime friend. Later in the evening, they went to The Ridge pub.

Basaraba called Sinclair and invited him to join them. They shared several drinks at the bar, and everything appeared fine, according to a security camera in the bar.

A short time later, a camera overlooking the parking lot showed some aggression by Sinclair toward MacPherson, who fled in a vehicle driven by his friend’s spouse and returned to their home.

Sinclair arrived sometime later, and while Sinclair, MacPherson and two others were sitting around the patio in the backyard around midnight, MacPherson raised the matter of the truck.

Sinclair responded by saying, “I should just knock you out,” to which MacPherson replied “just do it,” according to an agreed statement of facts put before the court.

The fight ensued. The knife had been left on the table earlier in the day.

MacPherson fled Whitehorse and was on the run for 10 days until he turned himself in to police in Victoria.

He was released on $25,000 bail in May 2015 to a rehabilitation centre in B.C. but was re-arrested early last month after admitting to using heavy drugs.

His pockets contained crushed-up drugs and fentanyl, along with a bottle of clean urine.

In his sentencing, Gower noted MacPherson had been convicted twice previously of assault with a weapon, though both occurred many years prior to the July 2014 stabbing.

He also credited MacPherson with making significant progress at the rehabilitation centre, but for the incident last month.

The court heard how MacPherson dealt with his share of hardship growing up.

He had moved to Whitehorse in the spring of 2014 to escape a life of drugs in B.C., and had lived with Basaraba and his family for a time after he arrived.