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When Justice Aitken delivered her not guilty verdict, she called it a circumstantial case, and said the Crown fell short of proving St-Hilaire’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

And when the judge announced on Wednesday that she would spare St-Hilaire a jail sentence, Kerry Nevin, Andy’s father, walked out of court in disgust. He said his son deserved better.

“There is no justice for Andy. I understand vigilantism these days because the justice system doesn’t work. This whole process has been madness. It’s been insanity from the beginning,” he said.

The days following Nevin’s death were long and horrible for his family. While they were making funeral plans, court heard how St-Hilaire was covering his tracks in a most calculated way.

He tarped the truck that was all over the news, had it repaired and took it to the car wash. He also went into hiding and checked in at a motel out by the airport.

Ottawa police detectives worked the case around the clock and had St-Hilaire under surveillance before arresting him nine days after the hit-and-run.

Those days were hard on the Nevin family, who said they wished St-Hilaire had owned up to what had happened.

At a sentencing hearing earlier this year, they described St-Hilaire as a “heartless monster” and asked how he sleeps at night.

Assistant Crown Attorney Lisa Miles called St-Hilaire’s actions a shameful act. The prosecutor told the judge during the sentencing hearing that St-Hilaire should have taken responsibility and reminded the court that Nevin’s death and the trial has left his family broken. Miles also noted that St-Hilaire’s regret and remorse was plentiful long after the fact. She said everyone has a certain responsibility and that St-Hilaire had failed in his, choosing instead to hide his involvement. “It’s not who we are as a community,” Miles said.