9°c A few clouds
19°c Sunny
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Man gets two more years in balcony fall death
Alinda Lahteenmaki (/ FACEBOOK PHOTO)
A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison after his girlfriend plunged to her death from the 11th-floor balcony of a downtown apartment.
Mario Trunzo pleaded guilty to manslaughter last week just as his trial was set to begin on a more serious charge of second-degree murder. The Crown agreed to the reduced plea, citing major problems with their case including conflicting witness statements about what happened.
Alinda Lahteenmaki, 23, died instantly during the January 2009 fall at 375 Assiniboine Ave. Trunzo initially claimed he had nothing to do with her death and suggested she committed suicide.
He has now admitted to shoving Lahteenmaki during a heated argument which ended with her perched on the ledge threatening to jump. Trunzo claims he tried to pull her back over but she slipped from his grasp.
Trunzo and Lahteenmaki were severely intoxicated at the time from alcohol, crack cocaine and other drugs, court was told.
"There’s no question what occurred here was needless and particularly devastating to this young woman’s family," Queen’s Bench Justice Joan McKelvey said Monday. She accepted the joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers which calls for Trunzo to serve two more years behind bars, in addition to 27 months of time already served which was given double time credit of 54 months.
McKelvey said it’s clear the Crown faced a big risk had they not struck a deal with Trunzo and opted to bring the case to trial. Lahteenmaki’s family expressed disappointment with the plea bargain and made a series of emotional victim impact statements in court.
"I will never see her beautiful smile, her laughing eyes. The loss is with the family every day," the victim’s mother said Monday.
At a previous bail hearing, the Crown presented a different picture of the case.
A man who was partying in the suite gave a statement to police claiming Trunzo grabbed Lahteenmaki and forced her towards the open window. He allegedly lifted her off the ground and dangled her feet out the window.
"She was half in and half out and he says, 'You want to die b---h, go ahead and die.' She kept saying 'no, no' and I didn't see her head anymore," the witness claimed. He said Trunzo eventually started yelling for help, only to let Lahteenmaki slip from his grasp.
Another woman who was at the gathering claimed Lahteenmaki was screaming for help, pleading with Trunzo to "Don't let go" in the seconds before she fell.
However, other witnesses told a different story, claiming Lahteenmaki had made comments earlier in the night about killing herself by jumping out the window and even wrote a suicide note that was seized by police.
Lahteenmaki had been battling depression and suicidal thoughts which included a stint at a mental health facility one week before her death, court was told.
www.mikeoncrime.com
History
Updated on Monday, April 16, 2012 at 4:27 PM CDT: Adds section about bail hearing.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Duffy expense controversy sent back to closed-door Senate committee
05/21/2013 10:02 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- A new mom's booze-fuelled hell
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- Male facing charges after gun fired in Exchange District
- Justin Bieber's pet monkey becomes property of Germany after singer misses deadline
- Gay Archie character to kiss partner in Pop Tate's
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evacuated after suicide inside the landmark church
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Police make grow-op bust
- MP Bruinooge says Bill 18 could infringe on religious freedoms
- Bethania CEO put on leave during investigation
- Elijah Harper: The humble man who said no
- Two charged in golf course burglary
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Man breaks world record by riding Ferris wheel at Chicago's Navy Pier for more than 48 hours
- Doc's memoir portrays ERs as frantic, funny, frightening ... but never dull
- WAG's 100 Masters exhibit drawing more than art aficionados
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Province removing red tape in alcohol sales
- Animals are animals, new ads say
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Paul McCartney to play Winnipeg Aug. 12
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Retail sales in province see 2 per cent increase in February
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.