Outbursts from the victim’s family and the accused have delayed the hearing for a man being sentenced for manslaughter.

Jesse Reynolds admitted to choking Jessica Miller in July after a night of binge drinking and doing cocaine.

Emotions continued pouring out as Miller’s family left the courtroom on Monday.

“He tore our family apart. He tore it apart” yelled Christine Belding, Miller’s aunt, outside Saint John provincial court.

The Crown is asking for a five-year sentence for Reynolds.

"That's crap,” said Arnold Tays, Miller’s father. “That's not enough time. What do you think, somebody strangles somebody and gets five years for it? That's not near enough time."

Miller’s body was found off a dirt road in Prince of Whales, west of Saint John.

On Monday, the court heard how Reynolds and Miller had been drinking and doing cocaine the night she was killed.

"He murdered my daughter on my birthday,” said Tays. “It's something I've got to live with for the rest of my life."

Seventeen victim impact statements were submitted in court, with five read out loud – including one from Miller’s nine-year-old cousin.

Tensions boiled over throughout the hearing with Miller’s aunt asking Reynolds to look at her while she read her statement.

“He should've looked at her, you know they say anger, well yeah we're angry, Jessica was a beautiful 20-year-old woman and he took her from all of us," said Belding.

Reynolds looked straight ahead and at the floor during the statements. He later read a statement saying, “I promise with my sentence I'll take full advantage of the help. I hope someday you can forgive me."

The Miller family was asked several times by sheriffs and the judge to be quiet. Several were escorted from the courtroom.

“The only thing he’s remorseful for is he got caught,” said Tays.

Defence lawyer David Lutz had little to say outside court.

“I agreed with the Crown,” he said. “They filed their brief, I agreed.”

Lutz told the court Reynolds has taken responsibility for his actions, and that he's never dealt with a more honest client.

The judge will hand down his sentence on Friday.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ashley Blackford.