Editor's note: This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.
A Pond Inlet man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for killing his longtime partner in 2023.
Daryl Quaraq admitted that during a fight, while very drunk, he stabbed Joanne Nutarak in the chest while in the bedroom of her auntSA国际影视传媒檚 home on April 8, 2023. Nutarak and Quaraq had been together for about 10 years and had four children. Over that time, Quaraq had repeatedly hurt Nutarak and was convicted several times for assaulting her.
Nutarak often stayed with her aunt because she didnSA国际影视传媒檛 feel safe at home. On the day she died, she was at her auntSA国际影视传媒檚 residence and Quaraq was heavily under the influence of alcohol. During the fight that day, Nutarak was stabbed with a knife, which pierced her heart. She was found dead in the room later that same day.
Following the killing, Quaraq left town on foot and stayed in remote cabins outside Pond Inlet for several days before returning to the community and turning himself in to police on April 12, 2023. He was charged with second-degree murder the next day.
A court hearing was planned, but in January 2025, both Quaraq and the Crown lawyers agreed to end the case without a trial. Quaraq admitted that he caused NutarakSA国际影视传媒檚 death but insisted that he did not intend to kill her, which resulted in the charge being amended to manslaughter. Both sides then agreed that Quaraq would receive nine years in prison.
In court, Quaraq said he remembered attacking Nutarak and seeing blood during the fight but couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 recall exactly what happened because he was so drunk and shocked. He acknowledged that his actions led to NutarakSA国际影视传媒檚 death.
Judge Mark Mossey reviewed the facts as agreed upon by the Crown and defence, including the history of abuse Nutarak suffered and several issues that made a trial uncertain, such as gaps in the evidence, a lack of eyewitnesses and possible problems with how the initial investigation was handled. As a result, the judge accepted the recommendation for nine years in prison.
Quaraq has already spent over two years in custody since shortly after Nutarak died. At the offender's May 22 sentencing hearing in Iqaluit, the judge gave him credit for this time, so he has about five years and 10 months left to serve.
The court also ordered Quaraq to provide a DNA sample, banned him from owning guns for 10 years (but allowed him to hunt to support himself), and waived a usual fine because of his financial hardship.
During the sentencing hearing, the prosecutor said that QuaraqSA国际影视传媒檚 admission of guilt might help bring some measure of closure to the victim's family, though the loss remains deeply painful.
The judge emphasized the seriousness of the crime and the loss suffered by NutarakSA国际影视传媒檚 family and community. While the sentence was the result of a legal agreement between the two sides, the court acknowledged the lasting pain caused by QuaraqSA国际影视传媒檚 actions.
Mossey also acknowledged Quaraq's desire to communicate to his children how long it will be before he's able to come home to them.
"He will be able to tell them today because of the certainty of sentence obtained in consideration for the guilty plea," the judge said.
