'I hope you remember her beautiful face': Mother of murdered woman addresses killer in court

Meghan Grant · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 5:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 19

For the archetypal clip since Vanessa Ladouceur was chased down by a alien and fatally stabbed portion walking to work, Erika Ladouceur addressed her daughter's killer. 

"I anticipation you retrieve her beauteous look each clip you spot the scars connected your hands," said Erika Ladouceur successful a unfortunate interaction connection delivered during the sentencing proceeding for Michael Adenyi. 

"The information that you, Michael, conscionable butchered her and near her to dice connected the thoroughfare similar an carnal is incomprehensible."

In April, jurors heard that Adenyi followed the 30-year-old arsenic she walked to her downtown fittingness teacher occupation on 10th Avenue aboriginal connected Friday March 18, 2022. 

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

Armed with a knife, Adenyi followed her for 2 blocks earlier helium body-checked her into an alcove and stabbed her to death. He testified that helium was having hallucinations astatine the clip and believed helium was attacking a carnal successful a kill-or-be-killed script erstwhile helium stabbed Ladouceur.

Within hours, Adenyi ended up astatine Foothills Hospital looking for aesculapian attraction for cuts to his fingers and hands.

It was the aforesaid infirmary wherever paramedics had taken Ladouceur. 

• Calgary antheral who fatally stabbed pistillate arsenic she walked to enactment blameworthy of 1st-degree murder

At the extremity of the trial, Andeni was recovered blameworthy of first-degree execution arsenic jurors rejected his lawyers' not criminally liable (NCR) defence.  

Everyone recovered blameworthy of first-degree execution is sentenced to beingness successful situation with nary accidental of parole for 25 years. 

For that reason, astir of Thursday's sentencing proceeding focused connected the victim, not her killer. 

Vanessa was 'deeply sensitive'

Erika Ladouceur told Justice Jane Sidnell that she raised her 2 daughters arsenic a azygous mother, often moving 2 jobs truthful that "they ne'er went without." 

"The 3 of america grew up unneurotic and went connected large adventures," said Erika. 

The household of 3 climbed mountains, camped, attended creation galleries and the symphony. 

Erika said her girl work voraciously; astir religion, politics, physics and poetry. She loved Maya Angelou, Nat King Cole, Etta James and memorized Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. 

Erika and her girls volunteered astatine section stateless shelters. 

"Vanessa became a profoundly sensitive, loving and caring person," said her mother. 

'Losing her is truthful profound'

The parent and girl were "best friends" who texted backmost and distant "all time long."

"Losing her is truthful profound it is intolerable to enactment into words," said Erika. 

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

During the trial, jurors heard that aft Ladouceur suffered 8 stab wounds, a neighbour who heard her screams ran to his flat window, saw the battle and yelled astatine Adenyi to stop, causing the slayer to tally away. 

Ladouceur stumbled into a adjacent lobby. The neighbour and different Good Samaritan tried to assistance but she was precise severely injured and collapsed. By the clip archetypal responders arrived, she was unresponsive. 

'Her beauteous blond hair was red'

Erika was brought to the trauma bay of the infirmary to place her daughter's body. 

"I retrieve lasting determination not knowing wherefore her beauteous blond hair was red, my encephalon could conscionable not judge what I was seeing." said Erika, done tears.

"To marque it worse, I was not allowed to interaction her, due to the fact that forensics was not finished with processing her assemblage yet." 

"The symptom that I consciousness each time since past is immeasurable."

Vanessa's sister moved distant aft the homicide. Now that the tribunal process is over, Erika says she volition bash the same. 

"The memories are excessively painful. I cannot enactment successful Calgary without being reminded of her wherever I spell successful this city."