Judge reserves decision on adult sentence for teen in trio of slayings

A judge has reserved his decision on whether a now-18-year-old man who participated in a spree of random killings around Winnipeg’s Main Street when he was 15 should be sentenced as an adult.

Court of King’s Bench Justice Gerald Chartier was not prepared Thursday to offer a date for when he will render his verdict.

The 18-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of second-degree murder for the Aug. 22, 2022, attacks on Danielle Dawn Ballantyne, 36, and Marvin William Felix, 54, and to manslaughter in the death of Troy Baguley, 51.

No explanation has been offered.

The accused and another teen, who were both 15 at the time, beat Ballantyne, a mother of four, to death. Separate attacks on Felix, an amputee who used a wheelchair, and Baguley, a man with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, left them with grave injuries. Both were later taken off life support.

The 18-year-old addressed the court Thursday and apologized, as family and supporters of the victims sat in the gallery.

“I’m here to take full responsibility for the pain and suffering that I’ve caused,” he said.

“I know that an apology cannot erase the past but I hope that in time … I can show that I’m working to become a better person, one who acknowledges their wrongs and takes responsibility … I’m not asking for forgiveness, but I do ask for a chance to prove that I’m not the same person that committed these acts.”

Crown prosecutor Jodi Koffman argued this week the teen is sufficiently morally responsible for the crime to merit an adult sentence, while a youth sentence would not be enough to hold him accountable or keep the public safe.

Defence lawyer Laura Robinson has argued the Crown has not successfully rebutted the legal presumption that, as a youth, he should be considered less morally responsible for his actions due to his immaturity and lack of development compared to those over 18, as is required when prosecutors seek adult sentences for young offenders.

If the teen is sentenced as an adult, it would amount to an automatic life sentence for second-degree murder. Prosecutors are asking for seven years of parole ineligibility, the maximum sentence for second-degree murder for a youth sentenced as an adult.

The maximum youth sentence for the same crime is seven years, with up to four years in custody and another three of conditional supervision in the community. Robinson is seeking the maximum youth sentence, or alternatively if Chartier sentences the teen as an adult, life with five years without parole eligibility.

The second teen involved, for whom prosecutors also intend to seek an adult sentence, will face a hearing later this year. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, but a charge of manslaughter related to Baguley was stayed.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca