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There were tears on both sides of the courtroom Friday as a jury found Brandon Ethier guilty of second-degree murder in the October 2016 slaying of his friend and roommate Joshua Briere.

Friends and families of both men wept quietly in court as the jury returned with the verdict Friday morning after three days of deliberations. Justice Kevin Phillips said Ethier will receive a life sentence after considering the jury recommendation for parole ineligibility, to be set between 10 and 25 years.

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Holly Briere, Joshua’s mother, said outside court she was heartbroken over the loss of her son, and also for Ethier’s family, who supported him throughout the three-week trial.

“I truly feel this is not a win for us. It’s a deeply painful situation for both sides,” she said. “My heart is broken, and my heart is broken for (Ethier’s) mother as well.”

Ethier had pleaded guilty to manslaughter — the only other option for the jury to consider — after he stabbed Briere, 26, in the late hours of a booze- and cocaine-fuelled party the two were hosting at their Clyde Avenue apartment. Ethier testified in his own defence, claiming he accidentally stabbed his friend as an argument escalated around 3 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2016.