MIRAMICHI, NB -Relatives of a teenage girl found slain in Northern New Brunswick are expected to deliver victim impact statements today during a sentencing hearing for the man convicted in her death.

Earlier this month, a jury found Curtis Wayne Bonnell guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his 16-year-old cousin, Hilary Bonnell.

The conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Justice Fred Ferguson of the Court of Queen’s Bench in Miramichi scheduled a sentencing hearing to allow members of Hilary’s family to read victim impact statements.

The girl’s body was found in a wooded area of Northern New Brunswick in November 2009, about two months after she vanished from the Esgenoopetitj First Nation.

Her disappearance triggered an extensive search and gripped the entire community.