Boy, 14, pleads guilty in killing at Millennium Library By: Dean Pritchard Posted: 5:32 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 14, 2023

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This article was published 14/06/2023 (862 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 14-year-old boy has admitted guilt in the slaying of a man that shocked the city and forced an overhaul of security measures at the Millennium Library.

The boy, one of four teens arrested in the Dec. 11, 2022 killing of 28-year-old Tyree Cayer, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder.

Crown attorney David Burland read an agreed statement of facts before the boy entered his guilty plea. A publication ban prohibits disclosing details of the killing as provided to court.

“There are co-accused individuals and those matters are still before the court, so a lot of facts that will be read out should not be published,” Burland told provincial court Judge David Mann. “This was a very high-profile matter.”

Cayer was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with several male youths inside the library around 4:30 p.m., the Free Press reported at the time.

The 14-year-old accused, seated in the prisoner’s box wearing a grey button-up shirt, appeared sombre and attentive as Burland read from the agreed statement of facts.

Members of both the boy’s and Cayer’s family filled the small court gallery.

Tania Cayer, Tyree’s mother, clutched at a necklace and wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue as she listened to details of her son’s killing.

Asked by defence lawyer Stacey Soldier if he agreed the facts as read reflected what happened that day, the boy said: “Yes, I do agree.”

The boy will be sentenced at a later date, likely in the fall, following the completion of a pre-sentence report and psychiatric forensic report. An earlier forensic report was completed in anticipation of an expected bail application, Burland said.

The boy has remained in custody since his arrest shortly after the killing.

Soldier said the Crown and defence will be jointly recommending a sentence to the court, but did not disclose what it will be. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the maximum sentence for second-degree murder is seven years, at least three of which must be served under community supervision.

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Soldier said the court will be asked to consider sentencing the boy under an Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision order. The program allows participants access to one-on-one counselling, occupational therapy, tutoring and other specialized services at a cost of $100,000 a year.

The boy “does qualify for the program with respect to some of the challenges that came out in the previous forensic report,” Soldier said.

Three male co-accused, 14, 15 and 16 at the time of their arrests, remain before the court charged with manslaughter.

Tania Cayer declined comment outside court. In a previous interview with the Free Press, she described Tyree as a “beautiful spirit” who struggled with mental health issues.

In his teens, Tyree was a star on offence and defence for Elmwood High School’s football team. He appeared destined for a professional career before a series of concussions and other injuries sidelined his dreams.

The Millennium Library was closed for weeks after the killing and didn’t reopen with full services until Jan. 23, following the addition of more security staff and walk-through metal detectors.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca

Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter

Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.

Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.