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He had role in two homicides, but he's back on street

By: Mike McIntyre

23/01/2009 7:45 PM | Comments: 7

A man who has admitted to playing a role in two separate Winnipeg homicides since 2000 is back on the streets after cutting his latest deal with Manitoba justice officials.

John Hornbrook, 26, pleaded guilty on Friday to assault causing bodily harm and was released from custody with a sentence of four years’ time served.

Hornbrook was originally charged with attempted murder in an October 2004 attack that left one man dead and another critically injured. A jury previously found him guilty, but the Manitoba Court of Appeal recently ordered a new trial based on mistakes the judge made in giving instructions to the jury.

The Crown has now accepted a reduced guilty plea from Hornbrook and agreed to a joint recommendation of time served.

David Lagimodiere, 22, was killed, and his friend, Cory Tod, was lucky to survive after both men were shot inside Tod’s Flora Avenue home.

Keith Coutu, 30, was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted murder in the incident. His brother, Jason, was convicted of attempted murder for beating Tod after he was shot.

Hornbrook admitted Friday he participated in that beating.

Jurors heard the shooting began after Tod kicked Hornbrook and the Coutu brothers out of his house following an all-night party. Keith Coutu went to his car, grabbed a sawed-off .22-calibre rifle and returned to the home, where he shot Lagimodiere twice.

All three accused then went upstairs where Tod was hiding. Keith Coutu shot him twice in the chest and Jason Coutu and Hornbrook began beating him.

Tod spent nearly two months in hospital recovering from his injuries.

Only days before the incident, Hornbrook had finished serving a five-year sentence he received for his role in the beating death of a total stranger.

Hornbrook pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was one of four young men who lured a 63-year-old man to a Hallet Street home in November 2000 intending to rob him.

Taras Krasnopura was targeted at a Main Street hotel by a 17-year-old female friend of the group, who pretended she was a prostitute. The victim was immediately jumped by the four men once he arrived at the home. He was beaten unconscious, dragged outside and left to die in the snow.

Hornbrook actually returned to Krasnopura once the group had left him and wrapped a jacket around his beaten body. He also attempted CPR with no success.

Hornbrook was sentenced in December 2001 to 34 months in custody, in addition to 13 months of pretrial custody, for which he was given double-time credit of 26 months.

www.mikeoncrime.com

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7 Commentscomment icon

Who in their right mind ever decided that pre-trial time served in custody should count as doubletime? Since dangerous criminals are the ones held in this manner it means that where a person not held gets the full sentance while those held get a double credit. Obviously the Justice system has decided that low risk individuals should get more time in the joint!! What a system!

The average suburban reader is irritated by Hornbrook's release. But next week, or month, or year...however long it takes, Hornbrook will victimize someone new. If he kills someone from a crappy neighborhood, people will "tisk tisk" again. If he kills some suburbanite's kid working at a gas station, PEOPLE WILL FREAK OUT. Why don't we ever get this angry now? No mater who he's victimizing, it's wrong. He's a walking time bomb, who will inevitably change someone's life for the worse. That person just doesn't know it yet.

Congratulations need to be given to the idiots who came up with the credit for time served "program." Also, to Hornbrook's parents: You did an amazing job! Manitoba needs to make more jails! It also needs to do what California is doing: three-strike system. We'll see how many people will try to commit senseless crimes to prove respect. Lock them all up and throw away the key. Who needs these scumbags in society anyways!

I am sure we will see him in the news again.

I guarantee John Hornbrook will be back in custody before the end of 2009. Once a violent criminal, always a violent criminal. He has no remorse. Only 26 years old and he has already participated in two homicides. What's next on his agenda?

This just shows how ridiculous our justice system truly is. No wonder the public doesn't trust the courts. Double time served while in custody awaiting trial should not be allowed. Obviously they were deemed a risk which does not entitle them to less time served.

Oh gee, look at that, another criminal back on the streets. This justice system we have is pathetic. What's the point of these people getting trials — they either get no penalty or they spend not nearly enough time locked up then they should. This story shouldn't surprise anyone. Well I hope it doesn't anyway. Good going, justice system, hope you're proud.

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