Killer apologizes to family for fatally stabbing London man: 'Forever sorry'
Antony Centeno-So apologized at his sentencing hearing to the family of Devon Cherrey-Rooke for fatally stabbing him in 2022
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The morning Antony Centeno-So stabbed a friend to death is, he said, “a blur.”
“It is all a blur for me because I was regularly sleep deprived and under the influence of crystal meth and fentanyl. This was the lowest time of my life,” he said Thursday at the second day of his sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the stabbing death of Devon Cherrey-Rooke, 31.
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“On this day I stand before you to take full accountability for my actions. The last 32 months I’ve been in deep thought about what happened that August morning. I’ve been driving myself crazy, praying and wishing I could change what happened that day.”
Centeno-So, 30, known as Asian Tony on the street, was originally charged with second-degree murder for the shocking morning stabbing of Cherrey-Rooke in the Home Depot parking lot in east London on Aug. 7, 2022.
He and Cherrey-Rooke had both been involved in London’s drug subculture and knew each other from the homeless encampment areas of the east side. The stabbing was caught on surveillance cameras in the area, showing Centeno-So chasing down Cherrey-Rooke and swinging at him six times before fleeing through a hole in the fence.
Cherrey-Rooke, whose family said at the last sentencing day had an infectious sense of humour and was a devoted uncle, died of multiple stab wounds, including one to his femoral artery.
The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of eight to 12 years. On Thursday, defence lawyer Jim Zegers asked Superior Court Justice Ian Leach to consider a sentence of six years in prison.
Centeno-So had the last word at the hearing. He has been in custody since his arrest and said he has used that time to break free of his drug addiction and “I realize acting with violence comes at a great cost.”
He said he also suffers from various mental health issues, including PTSD, insomnia, depression, anxiety “and constant nightmares for what I did that day.”
He turned around in the prisoner’s box and addressed Cherrey-Rooke’s family. “My deepest and sincere condolences to Devon’s family. From the bottom of my soul, not a day goes without Devon in my thoughts,” Centeno-So said.
“I’m forever sorry. I will always strive to be a better person than I was on that day. I am forever in debt to Devon’s family.”
Leach is expected to give a sentencing decision in the case later this year.
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