'Swift, brutal and purposeful': Killer in random stabbing on Calgary LRT platform guilty of murder
A Calgary man who killed a father of three in an unprovoked stabbing on a CTrain platform in 2017 is guilty of second-degree murder, a judge ruled Thursday.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Michele Hollins called the killing “swift, brutal and purposeful” as she convicted Keeton Gagnon, 43, in the death of Nicholas Nwonye.
The evening of June 2, 2017, the 46-year-old father was waiting to board a train at City Hall station. He was studying nursing at Bow Valley College and was on his way home.
Court heard CCTV footage captured the moments before the attack, where Hollins said Gagnon was seen carrying a long bladed knife in his right hand.
Nwonye was waiting to board the train when Gagnon tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, he was stabbed three times.
Two of the stab wounds went through vital organs, including his heart, the court heard.
Gagnon walked away but was arrested a short time later.
The judge said the only issue for her to decide at the trial was whether or not Gagnon was guilty of murder or manslaughter.
Hollins said she determined Gagnon intended to cause severe bodily harm, leading her to convict him of second-degree murder.
Outside court, Crown prosecutor Ken McCaffrey said he is pleased with the judgement.
“The attack in this case was one of gratuitous violence. It’s extremely cowardly and puts a chill in the community because the victim in this case was minding his own business.”
“What’s particularly sad is he was coming to Canada to make a better life for his family and was in nursing school. So the community really lost when Mr. Nwonye was killed,” said McCaffrey.
FAMILY DEVASTATED
Nwonye worked as an engineer in Nigeria and had just moved with his family to Calgary 18 months before his death.
He was working two jobs while taking classes to support his wife and three children, including a newborn.
His wife did not attend Thursday’s decision. Two of Nwonye’s sisters and mother attended virtually from New Jersey.
“In my mind I’ve always known he was guilty…but it doesn’t change the situation that Nicholas is gone that we can never see him,” said Ezi Agwu, Nwyone’s younger sister.
“For me today, it’s more of a deterrance so that he doesn’t do this to some other person.”
Agwu said family members had been prepared to travel to Calgary for the trial which was originally scheduled for April 2019, but the case was adjourned several times.
“The accused person in this case has been delaying justice but they always say justice delayed is not justice denied.”
Agwu said her brother’s death has been extremely difficult for the family.
“Nicholas was a very kind, peaceful person,” she said.
Agwu said it’s devastating knowing how her brother was killed.
“He waited for him to get up and stabbed him at the back. Who does that? That’s a coward,” said Agwu.
Some family members may travel to Calgary for sentencing.
The judge ordered a Gladue report, which looks at an Indigenous offender’s upbringing.
Gagnon faces an automatic life sentence with no parole for 10 to 25 years. A date for a sentencing hearing will be set in November.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Largest vaccine production plant in Canada opens in Toronto
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing the opening of a major vaccine production plant in Toronto today — part of Canada's efforts to build up the domestic biomanufacturing sector in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These are the world's 20 best cities for foodies, according to Time Out
Some travellers pick a city break based on the destination’s cultural offerings. Others eye up cities with buzzy nightlife or opt for a destination hosting a festival or event. But for many vacationers, the most exciting part of any trip is the food.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Israeli centrist party proposes vote to dissolve parliament
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party proposed on Thursday holding a parliamentary vote on dissolving the parliament, but it was unclear whether he had enough support to bring about an early election.
Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa
The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.
BMO services restored following outage from data centre fire alarm, the bank says
Bank of Montreal clients saw services restored Thursday morning after an overnight, false fire alarm caused outages, the bank says.