Woman gets just under two years in jail

Hours after her son fatally shot a man outside a Winnipeg bar, Amber Rockelle Fuz convinced a key witness to drive to her home in rural Manitoba, where she removed evidence from the woman’s phone and told her to lie about what happened.

Fuz, 46, pleaded guilty to attempting to obstruct justice in 2023 and has now been sentenced to just under two years in custody for the crime.

“Fuz’s stated motive for offending was to protect her son and not wanting to lose him,” Judge Lisa LaBossiere wrote in a sentencing decision, released Aug. 21 by the Provincial Court of Manitoba.

“While I accept that Fuz loved her son and wanted to protect him, this does not excuse her attempts to conceal her son’s involvement in a homicide. Her actions were deliberate and designed with this one motive in mind.”

Fuz’s son, Bryce Walker, was sentenced to life in prison for killing Lawrence Pruden, 27, near Classics Billiards Bar and Grill on Nov. 5, 2023.

Court heard he and his friend, 24-year-old Nathaniel Gatehouse-Gilchrist, ambushed Pruden and another man, Princeton Allen, outside the Portage Avenue restaurant after getting into a dispute.

Walker, 22, admitted to firing multiple shots from a handgun, striking Pruden in the head and injuring Allen. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given no chance of parole for 12 years. Gatehouse-Gilchrist was sentenced to 12 years in custody for manslaughter.

According to the decision document, Walker messaged a female friend to pick him and Gatehouse-Gilchrist up from the bar in the wee hours before the shooting. They ordered the woman — who is identified only as R.S. — to park her car nearby, where the men waited for their victims.

After the shooting, they instructed R.S. to drive to a house, where Walker retrieved different clothing so he and his accomplice could change. The two men later fled, and the woman returned home.

Hours later, Fuz messaged the female witness, stating: “I need to talk to you. I’m sure you know why. Can you call me please. Like as soon as you can. Or even come out here, but we NEED to talk,” the document says.

Fuz told R.S. to drive to her home in Fisher Branch, about 140 kilometres north of Winnipeg. When she arrived, Fuz and Walker were waiting for her.

The mother and son took the woman’s phone and removed its SIM card. They told her she must leave her car in Fisher Branch and tell people it was stolen. Fuz also told R.S. she could not leave the home, the document says.

“This would have been a frightening and intimidating experience for R.S. She was implicated in a homicide. She was a key witness and had valuable evidence to provide. Fuz manipulated and controlled her behaviour in the immediate aftermath of the crime she witnessed,” LaBossiere wrote.

R.S. remained at Fuz’s house until the following evening, when the witness’ sister threatened to phone police. Fuz arranged a ride to take R.S. back to Winnipeg. Fuz returned her phone, but kept the SIM card, the document says.

Investigators later found the witness’ car, but never recovered the SIM card, it says.

Officers arrested and charged Fuz just over one month later. She was released and then re-arrested several times on various charges related to property, violence and breaching the conditions of her release.

Fuz was arrested a final time for an alleged break and enter on April 1 and remained in custody as she awaited sentencing, the document says.

Defence lawyer Taralee Walker suggested Fuz should serve a conditional sentence between nine and 12 months. Crown prosecutors Vanessa Gama and Adam Gingera argued for three years in prison.

LaBossiere said she was convinced by neither recommendation, and felt a jail sentence of just under two years would be most fitting.

“Her actions were egregious. Her attempt to obstruct justice involved numerous acts,” LaBossiere wrote. “I also consider the fear R.S. felt. She witnessed a terrifying crime and was prevented from leaving Fuz’s residence, forcing her to remain there with the individual that committed the murder.”

With credit for time served, Fuz’s remaining sentence totalled 473 days. She is required to complete two years of supervised probation upon her release, the judge ruled.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca