Local

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Man gets 4-1/2 year sentence after beating victim freezes to death

By: Mike McIntyre

Posted: 11/26/2012 12:11 PM | Comments: 0

Chris Bozynski holds a photo of his father Zenon and his mother Heather, days after his father was killed in 2011. (JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for leaving a beating victim to freeze to death in a snowbank.

James Morrisseau, 28, pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year for the January 2011 death of 48-year-old Zenon Bozynski. He returned to court Monday to learn his fate.

The Crown was seeking a six-year sentence for Morrisseau, while his lawyer asked for three years of custody. Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin met them both in the middle.

Morrisseau was set to be sentenced last week, but the matter was delayed after he was arrested for a violent attack on his girlfriend. The domestic assault charge remains before the courts.

Crown attorney Deann Sahulka told court that Bozynski was drunk and unable to find his keys for his apartment when he began knocking on the door of a nearby Redwood Avenue rooming house just after 3 a.m.

The resident, a young woman, became frightened and called police to say she believed someone was trying to break in. She also texted her brother, Morrisseau, who arrived on scene.

Morrisseau admits assaulting Bozynski and leaving him in a snowbank in the -32 C weather with no jacket.

Police never responded to the woman’s original call. Police told the Free Press the woman called back an hour later, cancelling her request.

Police were eventually dispatched at 9 a.m. -- but only because a resident reported finding Bozynski’s body, court was told. An autopsy revealed he had died of hypothermia.

Morrisseau was originally charged with second-degree murder, but the Crown agreed to reduce the charge in exchange for a guilty plea.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

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.