Pair pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2016 death

By: Katie May Posted: 5:02 PM CDT Monday, Jun. 11, 2018

Nearly two years after a father of four was killed on a downtown Winnipeg street, two men have taken responsibility for his death.

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Nearly two years after a father of four was killed on a downtown Winnipeg street, two men have taken responsibility for his death.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/06/2018 (2909 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly two years after a father of four was killed on a downtown Winnipeg street, two men have taken responsibility for his death.

Geordie Douglas Wood and Renelle McDougall pleaded guilty to manslaughter Monday for killing 26-year-old Cyril Weenusk. Their second-degree murder jury trial had been set to begin Monday, but both men opted to accept a plea bargain that resulted in them admitting to the lesser charge.

Weenusk, a former firefighter and father to four young boys, was in Winnipeg on July 5, 2016, during a visit from Oxford House, as a medical escort for his father, who had cancer.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Family and friends of homicide victim Cyril Weenusk, including his spouse Lori Weenusk and their four children, participate in a vigil on Wednesday night in downtown Winnipeg. — BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Family and friends of homicide victim Cyril Weenusk, including his spouse Lori Weenusk and their four children, participate in a vigil on Wednesday night in downtown Winnipeg.

Around 3:50 a.m., he was attacked in front of Bell MTS Place at Portage Avenue and Donald Street.

At the time, the Winnipeg Police Service said a “chance encounter” between Weenusk and a group of people led to the violence. No details about what happened that morning were released in court Monday.

Wood’s lawyer, Scott Newman, said his client admits he used scissors as a weapon against Weenusk, but has no memory of what happened.

As part of the plea bargain, Crown and defence lawyers have agreed to ask Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Candace Grammond to impose prison sentences in the range of seven to 10 years for Wood, and six to 10 years for McDougall.

Members of Weenusk’s family were not present in court and couldn’t be reached for comment Monday. They are expected to share victim-impact statements during a sentencing hearing, set to take place in December.