Two brothers from Burwash Landing were sentenced Friday in a crowded Whitehorse courtroom for their role in an incident that divided the small community and, according to the teen victim’s family, led to his suicide months later.

Former Kluane First Nation chief Wilfred Sheldon, 39, and Derek Johnson, 33, unlawfully confined Collin Johnson in a Burwash home after a night of drinking in the summer of 2013, Justice Colleen Kenny ruled after an October 2014 trial in Yukon Supreme Court.

She sentenced Sheldon to 18 months of probation, while Derek will serve a six-month conditional sentence – a jail term spent in the community – and 12 months’ probation.

Friday’s sentencing was emotional, with several of Collin’s family members submitting victim impact statements and two others addressing the court orally.

They described a change in Collin’s demeanor after the incident and their deep grief at his death. His sister wrote that she felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest when she heard what Sheldon and Derek had done.

“Many of you in this courtroom will be disappointed by this sentence,” said Kenny. “Unfortunately, our system of justice cannot solve the problems in your community.”

What exactly occurred that night, beyond Collin being confined against his will, is unknown, although people in the community have their own theories.

The two men didn’t testify at their trial, and they declined to speak during Friday’s sentencing.

Collin’s cousin, Austin Dickson, was with him that August night. He testified that after a few hours spent drinking at Derek’s house, he and Collin were leaving when the two men pushed him out of the house and grabbed Collin.

They told him, “You ain’t going nowhere,” and slammed the door, Dickson said.

The next day, Collin had a gash on his wrist, bloodshot eyes, and bruises, “like a rope or some sort of wire wrapped around his neck,” he said.

Collin, 18, committed suicide five months later.

Derek and Sheldon stood trial solely for unlawful confinement – charges of assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm were dropped.

After the sentencing, Martina Amos, one of Collin’s aunts, looked stunned.

“We all knew it wouldn’t be what we were hoping for,” she said, her hands shaking. The family had wanted both men jailed.

“We know what happened behind those doors,” she said. “Collin told us.”

Ruth Carroll said her grandson had plans to go back to college.

“He was beginning to experience life,” she told the court. “He was a good kid. In his short life, he did do some really wonderful things,” like helping elders in Burwash.

“We all know what happened even though it was not stated in this room. It hurt us.”

She said the community, home to about 100 people, must come together and face its cyclical problems of alcohol abuse and violence.

Carroll cited a Bible passage that was read at Collin’s funeral: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”

“Can any one of us in this room do that?” she asked, turning to the dozens of people sitting in the gallery. “I don’t think any of us right now can.”

“We’ve lost our grandson, but I want something good to happen in Burwash. It’s a beautiful place. I want that community to be beautiful on the outside and the inside.”

Alyce Johnson, an aunt to Collin, Derek and Sheldon, spoke about traditional Southern Tutchone laws, which prescribed banishment and fines as punishment for crimes.

“Justice will be brought forth today for what has transpired.... On that night, you made a choice,” she said to Derek and Sheldon. “That was your choice.”

Crown prosecutor Keith Parkkari cited fallout, often alcohol-fuelled, from the incident: one of Collin’s brothers is in jail for sexual assaults, Dickson pleaded guilty to assault charges, and another man was jailed for a retributive assault against Derek.

The Kluane First Nation chief and council have recommended that Sheldon and Derek stay away from Burwash, for their own safety and for that of the community.

The trial, initially scheduled to be held in Burwash, was moved to Whitehorse after the men and their spouses were threatened and harassed.

“These charges have been very difficult on them and on their families,” said defence lawyer David Tarnow.

He filed in court several letters in support of the two men.

Derek has since moved to Atlin. A carpenter by trade, he sought treatment for alcohol addiction in B.C., Tarnow said.

Sheldon now lives in Teslin with his fiancée, where they run a heating and plumbing business. He was Kluane chief from 2007 to 2010, and has been very involved in the community over the years.

Kenny said although Collin’s family believes his suicide was a “direct result” of what took place that night, she must focus on the offence at hand.

“On those facts, this is not one of the more serious cases of unlawful confinement,” she said.

In addition to his probation, Sheldon must complete 50 hours of community service. He is not to drink alcohol outside his home.

Neither he nor Derek are allowed to contact Collin’s family, and they must participate in a restorative justice process when Collin’s family is ready to do so, Kenny said.

Derek, who has a lengthier criminal record than Sheldon, will serve a six-month conditional sentence.

For the first two months, he’s on house arrest, followed by four months with a curfew. Then Derek will spent 12 months on probation. He must complete 20 hours of community service.

Neither is permitted to live in Burwash.

Kenny said the community must work together to solve its problems.

“(Burwash) sounds like a wonderful place to grow up and continue to live,” she said. “It’s a shame it’s no longer the place it used to be.

“Only you have the power and responsibility to work towards making your community whole again.”