Lawyer says man in stabbing death of Calgary woman not criminally responsible

Bill Graveland · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 01, 2025 5:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The lawyer for a Calgary antheral who fatally attacked a pistillate 3 years agone says there's nary uncertainty his lawsuit was liable for her death.

Michael Adenyi, 29, is charged with first-degree execution successful the decease of fittingness teacher Vanessa Ladouceur connected a downtown street.

The 30-year-old was walking to enactment successful the aboriginal greeting of March 18, 2022, erstwhile she was attacked and fatally stabbed.

Adenyi has said helium was having hallucinations and believed helium was attacking a carnal erstwhile helium assaulted the woman.

He said the creatures looked similar lions, tigers and bears with mangled faces and that helium had to onslaught oregon hazard being killed.

Adenyi's parent testified during the proceedings that her lad was taking hour-long showers to drown retired the voices successful his head.

The accused told the tribunal that erstwhile helium chopped himself during the fatal attack, helium was shocked backmost into world and discovered the demonic carnal was a person.

His lawyers are arguing helium is not criminally liable by crushed of a aesculapian disorder.

"We're not present for a infinitesimal trying to archer you Mr. Michael Adenyi did not origin the decease of Vanessa Ladouceur," said his lawyer Kim Ross to the assemblage successful last arguments Thursday.

"It is our respectful submission to you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that Mr. Michael Adenyi is not criminally liable by crushed of intelligence disorder."

Ross said his lawsuit has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been prescribed anti-psychotic drugs.

On Monday, Calgary psychiatrist Dr. David Tano, who initially assessed that Adenyi was acceptable to basal proceedings successful April 2022, told the tribunal helium had concerns that the accused had an underlying psychotic illness.

"He talked astir successful the past proceeding these whispers and these voices saying his sanction oregon telling him to termination himself oregon starve himself," Tano said.

"He besides referred to ocular hallucinations wherever helium saw ghosts and radical arsenic good arsenic himself."

Ross said the lawsuit has been hard for the jury, household members and lawyers to travel to presumption with.

"This proceedings has been successful my respectful submission affectional and gut wrenching. For galore of you it's astir apt the archetypal glimpse into the transgression justness system."

Ross urged the assemblage to not permission their "common sense" down erstwhile they deliberate his client's fate.

"At the extremity of the day, you volition person nary occupation uncovering connected the equilibrium of probabilities that Michael Adenyi is not criminally liable by mode of a intelligence disorder."

The Crown was scheduled to present its last statement to the assemblage Thursday afternoon.