Confessed killer Michael Adenyi wasn’t in the throes of a psychotic episode where he did not appreciate what he was doing was wrong when he fatally stabbed a fitness instructor on a downtown Calgary street, a jury ruled Saturday. Read More
Confessed killer Michael Adenyi wasn’t in the throes of a psychotic episode where he did not appreciate what he was doing was wrong when he fatally stabbed a fitness instructor on a downtown Calgary street, a jury ruled Saturday. The 12-member Calgary Court of King’s Bench jury deliberated about 14 hours before concluding Adenyi was
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Confessed killer Michael Adenyi wasn’t in the throes of a psychotic episode where he did not appreciate what he was doing was wrong when he fatally stabbed a fitness instructor on a downtown Calgary street, a jury ruled Saturday.
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The 12-member Calgary Court of King’s Bench jury deliberated about 14 hours before concluding Adenyi was guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Vanessa Ladouceur.
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Adenyi’s lawyers, Kim Ross and Curtis Mennie, presented evidence from forensic psychiatrists indicating their client suffered from schizophrenia and was experiencing delusions and hallucinations when he attacked Ladouceur near his sister’s 10th Avenue S.W. apartment.
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Adenyi had spent the night of March 17, 2022, at his sister’s home and left early in the morning of March18.
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He testified he had been suffering delusions and hallucinations in the preceding months which included seeing frightening “animalistic creatures” who appeared as large, black bears, lions and targets.
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That morning he saw a group of such demons and, fearing they would kill him, he took a knife from his backpack and struck first.
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It was only when he cut his own hand in the attack, that he came back to reality and realized he was attacking a human being.
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But Crown prosecutor Carla MacPhail argued Adenyi knew what he was doing and fatally attacked Ladouceur as part of a deadly plan.
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“Mr. Adenyi did not tell you the truth when he testified, just like he did not tell the people at (the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre) … about what was in his head when he attacked Vanessa Ladouceur,” MacPhail said.
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“Repeating the same lie over and over again does not make it true.”
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Ross argued that while not denying Adenyi caused Ladouceur’s death, he could not be held criminally responsible because of his mental disorder.
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Sentencing is to occur at a later date.
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With files from The Canadian Press
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KMartin@postmedia.com
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X: @KMartinCourts
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