Calgary man pleads guilty in 2019 stabbing death of caseworker
A Calgary man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of a caseworker at an assisted living home that saw the victim suffer at least 19 stab wounds.
- Warning: details in this story may be upsetting to some readers
Brandon Jacob Spencer Newman made the plea Friday.
He was charged in the October 2019 death of Deborah Onwu at a Wood's Homes assisted living facility in the 1800 block of 27 Avenue S.W., a non-profit mental health centre that provides care for youth and their families.
Newman, who was 18 at the time, was a client at the home.
Investigators said Newman and Onwu got into a verbal and physical argument at which point she was fatally stabbed.
An agreed statement of facts says the woman suffered wounds to her face, neck, chest, thigh and ankle, with at least three wounds to vital organs.
She was stabbed 19 times.
After the killing, the statement says Newman walked away and stashed the knife under a bush about three houses to the east of the facility. DNA matching Newman and Onwu was found on the knife and handle.
Newman's lawyer told the court numerous times during the proceedings his client had a long history of violence, complex mental health issues and was childlike.
A sentencing date is expected to be set next week.
With files from CTV Calgary's Stephanie Thomas
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.