The hearing into the sentencing of Christopher Cornell for attempting to murder an RCMP officer and a conservation officer was adjourned this morning for five months.

Cornell is a 32-year-old Whitehorse resident. He was found guilty by a jury last October after a three-week trial into several criminal charges, including the two counts of attempted murder.

His accomplice and girlfriend at the time, 23-year-old Jessica Johnson of Whitehorse, was sentenced in December 2013 to three years and three months in federal prison for her role in the violent crime spree on Sept. 26, 2011.

Cornell and Johnson were charged with the armed robbery of Madley's General Store in Haines Junction and firing a high-powered rifle at a fully marked RCMP crew cab during a high-speed chase following the robbery.

Johnson pleaded guilty to four of eight charges the morning before jury selection began last Sept. 9, but not to the two charges of attempted murder.

A publication ban was imposed on her guilty pleas until the trial was over to prevent the jury from learning of them.

This morning, defence lawyer David Tarnow told Justice Leigh Gower of the Yukon Supreme Court that material important to the sentencing hearing scheduled for today and Friday was not available as early as expected.

As a result, he added, he has not had time to review it thoroughly with Cornell.

Gower accepted Tarnow's request for an adjournment, then set down Oct. 29 and 30 as the new dates for sentencing.

"This is a very serious matter and we should take our time to get it right,” Gower said.

It was also noted Cornell was sentenced last January to 14 months in jail on different criminal charges, so postponing this morning's sentencing will not affect his liberty or custody status in any way.

In addition to the two convictions of attempted murder last October, Cornell was found guilty of:

• shooting at RCMP Cpl. Kim MacKellar and CO Shane Oakley;

• shooting at a marked RCMP vehicle knowing somebody was probably in it;

• aggravated assault by wounding MacKellar;

• using a firearm while escaping from a robbery;

• using bear spray to assault Frank Parent, the custodian at Madley's; and

• using violence against Parent while stealing a safe from Madley's.

The Crown has also asked the court to declare Cornell a long-term offender, meaning he would be under the supervision of the court for up to 10 years after he's released from incarceration.

Evidence presented to the jury last fall indicates Cornell and Johnson were high on drugs, mostly cocaine and crack cocaine, when they left Whitehorse in the early-morning hours of Sept. 26.

The RCMP were eventually notified of a break-in at Madley's at approximately 6:30 a.m. MacKellar responded, with assistance from Oakley.

As they pulled up to Madley's, a stolen SUV sped away, and a high-speed chase ensued down the Alaska Highway toward Destruction Bay.

During the chase, a bullet from a .375 H & H rifle was fired from the back window of the SUV. It blew through the front windshield of the RCMP crew cab. The mounted radar unit was torn off the dash, and bullet fragments and glass sprayed the cab.

The chase ended and MacKellar was eventually medevaced to Vancouver with bullet fragments in his eyes, face and shoulder. Some fragments are still there.

A massive police response was mobilized out of Whitehorse and Cornell and Johnson were arrested a couple of hours later near the Pine Lake Campground.

After abandoning their stolen vehicle 12 kilometres beyond the end of the high-speed chase, they hitched a ride back through Haines Junction to the campground.

Earlier in the morning at Madley's, they were confronted by the custodian when he noticed them in the store.

Thinking it was another case of high school students breaking in, Frank Parent approached and grabbed Johnson.

He was slugged from behind, had his nose broken and fell to the floor. It was then that his face and eyes were doused with bear spray.

Parent, however, was able to make his way to the phone to call for help, as Cornell and Johnson were busy outside trying to load the store's safe into the back of the SUV using a pallet jack. They were not successful, and fled the scene with the arrival of MacKellar and Oakley.

During the trial, the judge instructed the Crown that it could introduce some evidence of Cornell's criminal past but not all, as some of the evidence would be too prejudicial.

The Crown, for instance, was not allowed to tell the jury about Cornell's 2007 conviction for attempting to rob Bernie's Race Trac gas station while wearing a mask and wielding a knife and bear spray.