Fatal stabbing an act of self-defence, judge rules

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This article was published 01/08/2019 (2257 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 19-year-old Winnipeg woman has been acquitted of manslaughter after a judge ruled she was acting in self-defence when she fatally stabbed a woman following a dispute over clothing.

Lanessa Moskotaywenene was also acquitted of a second count of aggravated assault in connection to a second victim.

Angel Sandine Beulieu, 22, died Jan. 21, 2018, three days after she was stabbed during a fight inside a Furby Avenue apartment.

“I find the force used was reasonable in the circumstances,” provincial court Judge Julie Frederickson said Tuesday. “It was reasonable for the accused to use the force that she did in an effort to stop the attack on her. Her response was consistent with the type of quick and reflexive actions when attempting to defend one’s self.”

Court heard Moskotaywenene was alone in the apartment when Beaulieu arrived with a second woman, who became angry when she saw that Moskotaywenene was wearing her clothes. The unnamed woman attacked Moskotaywenene, and was quickly aided by Beaulieu, who held the accused in a headlock.

Both Moskotaywenene and the unnamed woman had been using methamphetamine in the hours leading up to the attack.

While still in a headlock, Moskotaywenene grabbed a knife from the kitchen sink and swung out, stabbing Beaulieu in the thigh and the second woman in the arm.

“I am satisfied that at the time the accused decided to arm herself, the attack on her was ongoing, with no sign of abatement,” Frederickson said.

Beaulieu was stabbed in the femoral vein, causing her to lose “a significant amount” of blood in a short period of time, Frederickson said.

“The volume of blood loss resulted in a lack of oxygen to her brain, ultimately causing her death in hospital a few days later,” she said.

Moskotaywenene fled the apartment and was not arrested until three weeks later. Prosecutors argued Moskotaywenene’s attempts to evade arrest pointed to her guilt.

Frederickson said Moskotaywenene’s “post-offence conduct” was “not particularly relevant to whether she intended to kill or injure the victims.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca