'I've been stabbed': Crown calls first witnesses at murder trial of teen boy in Copperfield killing

Trial began Tuesday for one of the two teenage brothers charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of an 18 year old in the southeast community of Copperfield in September.

The then-16-year-old and his 18-year-old brother are accused in the death of Danillo Canales Glenn, who Calgary police said at the time was bear sprayed and stabbed several times at the community basketball court on the evening of Sept. 5.

“Danillo will forever remain in our hearts cherished and dearly missed. He will be honoured and remembered for the kind genuine person he was, who was always looking out for others. He was taken too soon under unimaginable circumstances, and his family and friends are hopeful that justice will be served on his behalf,” Canales Glenn’s family said in a statement on Tuesday.

The accused is now 17 but can’t be named due to provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. His brother is also not being identified as to not identify his sibling but will face a separate trial.

In her opening statement, Crown prosecutor Vicki Faulkner told the court the victim was playing basketball with two friends at the time of the attack.

“It was a lovely evening and kids and adults were out enjoying the weather, including Danillo,” she said, claiming the accused and his brother “headed to the park on a lovely September night to do violence.”

Faulkner claims two people with their hoods up arrived at the rink and were staring at the victim and his friends, along with a group of younger children that were between eight to 10 years old.

The Crown claims Canales Glenn said something along the lines of, “What are you looking at or what’s up?” and the pair didn’t respond but instead jumped the boards at the community rink and attacked.

Faulkner claims one of the accused pulled pepper spray out of a fanny pack and then sprayed the victim. She said while it’s unclear who had the knife, witnesses described seeing it during the attack.

The Crown alleges the pair fled and Canales Glenn’s friend ran back to find him, “gasping, blood gushing, and saying, ‘I’ve been stabbed.’”

Faulkner told the court that one friend ran for a first aid kit while the victim’s friend performed CPR until paramedics arrived and transported him to hospital where he later died.

The trial is scheduled to run for nine days. Justice Eleanor J. Funk is presiding over the court proceedings.

The Crown is expected to call several witnesses in the coming days, including six witnesses under 18 years old, three of them under 14.

Canales Glenn had turned 18 weeks before he was killed, sparking shock from family, friends and the Copperfield community who held several vigils at the basketball court.

He was Calgary’s 13th homicide victim of 2023.