Woman sentenced to eight years for stabbing boyfriend to death

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This article was published 10/10/2023 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg woman arrested for the Christmas Eve slaying of her on again-off again boyfriend has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Janice Franklin, 37, was originally charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 24, 2020, stabbing death of 35-year-old Lloyd William Chubb, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Court heard the week prior to the killing the couple had been staying at Red Road Lodge, a Main Street facility that offers assistance to those experiencing homelessness and addictions, with Franklin being evicted due to a drug relapse.

The day of the killing, Franklin joined Chubb at his new Furby Street apartment where they drank heavily before an argument erupted and Chubb punched Franklin repeatedly in the face.

Franklin armed herself with two knives and stabbed Chubb in the chest before fleeing the apartment, making no effort to provide Chubb assistance or call for help, provincial court Judge Dale Schille said at a sentencing hearing Friday, summarizing an agreed statement of facts provided to court.

Chubb was found dead a couple of hours later.

Franklin wasn’t arrested until June 2021 in Brandon, at which point, she was taken into custody and transported to Winnipeg.

Chubb’s family members provided three victim impact statements to court.

“Remarkably, these statements did not express anger toward Ms. Franklin, nor did they seek retribution,” Schille said, quoting Chubb’s father as saying: “My son was not one to hold a grudge.”

Court heard Franklin, who is Indigenous, had an upbringing marked by disadvantage, exposure to substance abuse and physical abuse and has a family history of residential school involvement. Franklin developed an addiction to alcohol as a teenager and then hard street drugs, including methamphetamine, as an adult.

“Violence and substance abuse constitute a golden thread that runs through the family,” Schille said. “It is an anticipated outcome that Ms. Franklin … would inherit similar problems that plagued her parents and their parents.”

The substance abuse issues were so profound “by her own admission, the last decade is a blur,” Schille said.

Franklin has been admitted to residential treatment programs three times in the past, “but unfortunately has not been able to maintain sobriety for any amount of time,” the lawyer said.

According to a pre-sentence report provided to court, Franklin blamed her actions on drug and alcohol addictions. While in custody, she has made little effort to participate in counselling, Schille said.

“Ms. Franklin is wracked by regret because there is nothing she can do to change what happened,” Schille said. “While that is true, she is able to effect change in herself to ensure she never again becomes intoxicated and violent.”

Franklin received credit for time served, reducing her remaining sentence to 4 ½ years.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca