19°c Partly cloudy
12°c Cloudy with showers
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Crown wants 12 years for golf-club homicide
FILE - Stuart Mark (JEFF DE BOOY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store
The Crown is seeking a 12-year prison term for a Winnipeg man who beat his boyfriend to death with a golf club.
Michael Pearce, 43, was convicted of manslaughter earlier this year following a jury trial. He returned to court Tuesday for sentencing. He is seeking a penalty of four years behind bars.
Stuart Mark, 36, was found bludgeoned to death inside his Alfred Avenue home in January 2007. The case against Pearce was largely based on a confession he made to police, which jurors had to decide whether to believe.
Pearce went to police in July 2007 and took responsibility for the death. He claimed the killing took place after he became upset when Mark revealed he was HIV positive. But Pearce later claimed police had "coaxed" him into making a bogus confession. He told jurors he attempted suicide and overdosed on 14 Tylenol No. 3s just prior to giving his statement to police, which was the key piece of evidence against him. There were no forensic or eyewitness links to the slaying.
Jurors also heard during the trial Pearce volunteered to take a polygraph test five days before he confessed to killing Mark. In the test, Pearce denied any involvement in the slaying and was deemed by police to have been telling the truth.
Crown attorney Melinda Murray told jurors Pearce hit Mark in the head with a golf club, then stabbed him in the stomach, causing puncture wounds to his liver and lungs.
"The argument was as a result of Stuart Mark revealing to him for the first time that he was HIV positive," Murray said. "(Pearce) admits to being very angry at Stuart Mark.
The homicide went unsolved for several months and resulted in Winnipeg police making a public plea for information. Pearce was interviewed on several occasions and eventually gave the videotaped confession, which jurors were shown during the trial.
www.mikeoncrime.com
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
More Local
(1 of 31 articles for today)
Police searching for suspect who woke sleeping teen
4:24 PM 0Winnipeg police are searching for a man who broke into a Fort Rouge home and tried to sexually assault a ...
Poll
Most Popular Local
- City's first urban reserve born
- Woman drove into river on purpose
- City set to seize derelict hotel
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Accused fraudster fights extradition to U.S.
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Witness changes story of killing
- Evidence ignored in dangerous driving acquital, appeal court told
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Police identify slaying victims
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- The end of the credit card?
- City's first urban reserve born
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- City's first urban reserve born
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Accused fraudster fights extradition to U.S.
- Armed forces buys buses from Motor Coach
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- Better PTSD treatment for RCMP urged
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- Katz plays on with golf-course plan
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Fishing for fashion
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Core grocer a challenge: expert
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- City's first urban reserve born
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- North End proud
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
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.