Man stabbed roommate for stealing — then found wallet in his own pocket

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This article was published 09/02/2024 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man who stabbed his roommate 10 times after mistakenly believing he had stolen his wallet and rent money has been convicted of attempted murder.

Asham Joseph Cooke, 27, will be sentenced at a later date.

“I find that the only reasonable inference to be drawn from all the evidence in this case is that the intent was to kill the victim,” provincial court Judge Cynthia Devine wrote in a written decision last month.

“The stabbing was targeted, repeated, deliberate and relentless, born out of the accused’s fear that his money was missing and that the victim took it and now had to pay — with his life,” Devine said. “It is remarkable that the victim survived.”

Court heard Cooke and the 18-year-old male victim shared a downtown apartment Aug. 15, 2022, when Cooke couldn’t find his wallet containing more than $3,000 and accused the victim of stealing it.

When the victim repeatedly denied stealing the wallet, Cooke pulled a knife from his pocket and started stabbing him in the upper body and neck.

Security video in the apartment building showed the victim trying to escape in the hallway as Cooke held onto his shirt and continued to stab him in the back, head and neck.

The attack only ended when the victim made it to the door of the apartment manager, who let him inside and called police.

Cooke subsequently found his wallet — in the pocket of the pants he was wearing.

Cooke turned up at St. Boniface General Hospital where police arrested him. Cooke’s clothing was covered in his roommate’s blood and he was still carrying the knife he used to attack the victim.

Asked by police if he was trying to kill the victim, Cooke said: “I was just thinking about my money.”

“I knew I was just pissed off at that point,” he said. “Yeah, I snapped. I was like, ‘OK, well my life was in my wallet, so now you’re going to pay.’”

Devine rejected Cooke’s claim he only wanted his wallet back and had no intent to kill the victim. Cooke admitted his first stab was to the victim’s head or neck, which by itself could have been fatal, Devine said.

“He stabbed the victim in the proximity of many arteries in his neck, his internal organs and brain,” Devine said. “As the stabbing continued … the accused knew that death was virtually a certainty.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca