Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Man admits to strangling, dumping victim

Gets 15 years in prison; body never found

By: Mike McIntyre

Posted: 09/23/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Jonathan Muzychka: pleads guilty

WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for an unusual killing in which his victim's body has never been found.

Jonathan Anders Muzychka pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday, abruptly ending a case that made headlines across the country and caused a drain on the police budget.

The Crown dropped the more serious charge of second-degree murder as part of a plea bargain.

Muzychka, 31, admitted he strangled Jacinto Eduardo Etcheverry during a robbery in July 2008. He then stuffed the 46-year-old man's body into a duffel bag and threw it in a dumpster behind the victim's Wolseley apartment.

Police didn't learn about the killing until days later, triggering an intensive search of the Brady Road Landfill that lasted several months and cost the city more than $100,000. The search was called off earlier this summer.

Crown attorney David Rampersad told court Tuesday that Muzychka and Etcheverry didn't know each other but shared a common link -- a drug-addicted sex-trade worker named Sonya Duck.

Etcheverry was a client of Duck's, while Muzychka and Duck did drugs together after meeting in early 2008.

It was Duck who came up with the plan to rob Etcheverry, court was told.

Muzychka and Duck went to Etcheverry's apartment on the night of July 24 and attacked him "without provocation," Rampersad said.

Etcheverry responded by smashing a beer bottle over Muzychka's head, causing a large wound. Muzychka overpowered Etcheverry -- while Duck watched -- and choked him to death with his hands.

Muzychka and Duck stole the victim's bank and credit cards. They made several cash withdrawals because Duck knew his PIN number.

Muzychka returned about six hours later with a large duffel bag. He stuffed Etcheverry inside and cleaned up the crime scene, including his blood.

"Because rigor mortis had begun to set in, he had a very difficult time with the body," Rampersad said.

Muzychka fell down a stairwell inside the apartment block while trying to carry the bag outside, he said.

A missing person's report was filed the next day when Etcheverry failed to show up for work.

Police got a break days later when Duck's father contacted them, saying his daughter had mentioned a "robbery gone bad" and may have information. Police found Muzychka and Duck in British Columbia, where they had been arrested in a stolen van he drove into a field of kids at camp.

Duck later implicated Muzychka, saying they never planned to hurt Etcheverry.

"We told him we were going to tie him up, take his money, that if he co-operated he wouldn't get hurt," she said. Muzychka was charged with the killing while Duck was deemed a key witness.

Muzychka made headlines again in October following a dramatic escape from Headingley jail by scaling a large razor-wire fence, swimming across the Assiniboine River and stealing a semi-trailer. He was caught more than three weeks later by an RCMP tactical team hiding inside a hotel room in Golden, B.C.

Police learned he had committed two bank robberies in Calgary and one in Medicine Hat, Alta., in the days following his escape.

Muzychka pleaded guilty to all three crimes on Tuesday, admitting he stole more than $50,000. He was given seven years concurrent to the manslaughter sentence for those crimes.

Muzychka pleaded guilty to his jailbreak earlier this year and was sentenced to 22 months. He has a lengthy criminal history and has served three previous federal sentences for offences including robbery, break and enter and assault.

Crown and defence lawyers told court Tuesday they struck a deal to avoid a trial, where Muzychka might have been successful fighting the murder charge based on Duck's poor credibility and the fact Etcheverry's body was never located.

www.mikeoncrime.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 23, 2009 B1

Factual inaccuracy? Something missing? Help improve our journalism.

Know about news? Share your story suggestions, photos and video.

Spelling error? Punctuation problem? Send us an email if you’ve found a typo.

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.