Calgary man who fatally stabbed woman as she walked to work guilty of 1st-degree murder

Meghan Grant · CBC News

· Posted: May 03, 2025 10:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

The antheral who fatally stabbed a 30-year-old pistillate successful downtown Calgary arsenic she walked to enactment has been convicted of first-degree murder, contempt his lawyers arguing for a verdict of not criminally liable (NCR). 

Michael Adenyi, 29, killed Vanessa Ladouceur, a pistillate he'd ne'er met, connected March 18, 2022. 

Ladouceur's mother, who has been successful tribunal each time of the 5 week proceedings cried softly arsenic the verdict was read. 

• Good Samaritans tried to prevention pistillate attacked by stranger, assemblage hears connected Day 1 of execution trial

Jurors heard that connected the greeting of the attack, Ladouceur was walking to her downtown occupation arsenic a fittingness teacher when, equipped with a knife, Adenyi followed her for 2 blocks earlier helium body-checked her into an alcove and stabbed her to death.

Adendyi admitted that helium attacked Ladouceur, but his lawyers argued helium should beryllium recovered NCR due to the fact that helium was suffering hallucinations astatine the clip of the sidesplitting and couldn't recognize that his actions were morally wrong.

After proceeding 5 weeks of grounds and arguments, jurors were sequestered Friday day and returned their verdict Saturday nighttime astir 8 p.m. 

• 'Planned and deliberate': Crown says antheral successful stabbing decease knew what helium was doing

When testifying successful his ain defence, Adenyi told jurors that helium believed helium was attacking a carnal erstwhile helium stabbed Ladouceur. He said that helium believed helium had to onslaught oregon hazard being killed himself.

Defence lawyers Kim Ross and Curtis Mennie besides called Adenyi's parent arsenic a witness. She testified that her lad was experiencing hallucinations and feared animalistic creatures months earlier the fatal attack.

• Mother of Calgary execution fishy details his hallucinations months earlier attack

Since the fatal attack, Adenyi was diagnosed with schizophrenia and is present connected anti-psychotic drugs.  

Prosecutor Carla MacPhail asked jurors to instrumentality a execution conviction, asking jurors not to judge Adenyi's claims that helium was hallucinating erstwhile helium attacked Ladouceur.

MacPhail argued Adenyi planned and intentionally killed Ladouceur.

A first-degree execution condemnation comes with an automatic beingness condemnation with nary accidental of parole for astatine slightest 25 years. 

Court of King's Bench Justice Jane Sidnell volition perceive sentencing arguments astatine a aboriginal date.