Fatal stabbing of Ukrainian newcomer left family shattered

A man who fatally stabbed a Ukrainian newcomer in “a random, unprovoked, and senseless act of violence” on the street has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Ethan Gladu, 22, was found guilty of manslaughter in February in the December 20, 2023 killing of Ivan Rubanik, a 46-year-old father of two who had fled to Canada for a better life with his family several months before.

Gladu, then 19, randomly stabbed Rubanik shortly before 8 a.m., near Talbot Avenue and Watt Street, as the victim was walking to work that morning. He died of blood loss soon after.

“The people of Winnipeg, or any community, should feel confident that they can go about their business, walk to work, support their family, and carry on with their lives without being attacked,” said Court of King’s Bench Justice Kenneth Champagne on Thursday afternoon as he sentenced the killer.

“This was a random, unprovoked, and senseless act of violence. It is the type of violence that shakes the very core of everyone’s sense of safety and security. The court must send a message that such violent conduct is unacceptable.”

Security video gathered from city transit buses and multiple residences captured Gladu’s movements before, during and after the killing. Minutes prior to the stabbing, Gladu was captured on transit cameras threatening to stab a passenger and the bus driver before being ordered off the bus.

“This was a random, unprovoked, and senseless act of violence.”

Gladu was then seen getting off the bus and walking toward Rubanik, who, after a brief interaction with Gladu, continued walking south along Talbot Avenue as the killer trailed behind him.

Gladu caught up to Rubanik and, after walking beside him for a few seconds, suddenly stabbed him in the right shoulder.

Rubanik ran across the street and down the sidewalk a short distance before falling to his knees and collapsing. A 12-centimetre-deep stab wound severed a major artery and vein and punctured Rubanik’s lung. Gladu ran off and Rubanik was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later.

Rubanik’s family — wife Yulia, teenage son Myroslav and teenage daughter Paulina — have been left devastated in the wake of the killing. Earlier on Thursday, Crown prosecutor Lee Turner, who described the Rubaniks as “shattered,” read out statements from each of the family members in court.

Rubanik’s widow, who was in court, concluded her statement with a poem.

“‘Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day, unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed, and very dear,’” said Turner, quoting from Yulia’s statement.

Prior to Champagne’s decision, Turner and defence lawyer Tara Walker had argued for vastly different sentences.

Turner said Gladu should get 15 years in a federal prison, arguing he presents a risk to the community and that public safety and confidence in the justice system demanded a hefty prison sentence.

“Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day, unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed, and very dear.”

“Every day that Ethan Gladu is in jail is a day that we can guarantee that the public is safe from him,” Turner told Champagne. “Without a significant change on his part, whenever he’s out of jail, he will… be a concerning risk to public safety.”

Walker argued Gladu should serve two years less a day in a provincial jail, where he has been placed in a special unit due to significant cognitive deficits that make him vulnerable to other prisoners. The defence lawyer said when the jail time was up, Gladu should be given three years of supervised probation to be set up on a path toward possible rehabilitation.

Considering time served since his arrest in late 2023, she argued, that would amount to a sentence of just under six years behind bars.

Gladu experienced a traumatic early life and was described in court as falling through the cracks of the school and child-welfare systems.

“Every day that Ethan Gladu is in jail is a day that we can guarantee that the public is safe from him.”

He has addictions, though he has not fully acknowledged that, court heard. He was using methamphetamine in the lead-up to the killing and had been experiencing apparent drug-induced paranoia in the week before.

After his arrest, Gladu was assessed to determine whether he was mentally fit to stand trial, which he ultimately was found to be.

Manitoba corrections officials deemed him vulnerable and easily influenced by others due to his cognitive deficits.

Gladu’s sentencing hearing had initially been scheduled for May. It was delayed until Thursday, after Walker asked Champagne to adjourn to allow time for Gladu to undergo another assessment.

After the stabbing, Gladu ran across Talbot Street to an apartment building where he went to two suites and interacted with several people. He left two hours later and made his way to the Salvation Army shelter on Henry Avenue.

When police arrested him at the shelter the following day, he was wearing the same jacket he had on when he stabbed Rubanik.

He stood trial for second-degree murder, but was convicted of the lesser offence after Champagne said he was not satisfied Gladu intended to kill Rubanik.

Considering time served, Gladu will serve about six years and three months more in prison. He was also ordered to hand over his DNA to law enforcement and banned from possessing weapons for life.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca