Vulnerable women sent to jail for fatal beating in case Winnipeg judge calls 'dreadful, yet not uncommon'

Caitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 4:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Two intellectually susceptible women who bushed a antheral to decease person been handed jailhouse sentences that volition let them to service their clip in Manitoba, avoiding longer national sentences prosecutors asked for that would person sent them to service their clip extracurricular the province.

Cherilyn Dumas, 22, and Calianna Keeper, 21, were initially charged with second-degree execution successful the decease of Derek Karl Stevenson, 33, whose assemblage was recovered successful a rooming location connected Austin Street N. successful Winnipeg's Point Douglas country connected Nov. 1, 2023, aft a drunken combat that turned deadly, tribunal heard Friday.

Both women aboriginal pleaded blameworthy to the lesser complaint of manslaughter, based connected their intoxication astatine the clip of the killing, Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Chris Martin said arsenic helium work his sentencing determination successful a Winnipeg courtroom.

Dumas, who tribunal heard played a bigger role successful the beating and deed Stevenson with a frying pan, was sentenced to 4 years and six months — and with enhanced recognition for clip served factored in, volition service conscionable nether 2 much years.

Keeper was sentenced to 4 years, which means 18 much months successful custody.

After they're released, Dumas and Keeper will besides beryllium connected supervised probation for 3 years.

In handing down his sentence, the justice noted both women's lives person been marked by "significant psychological, intellectual, cognitive and addiction challenges," arsenic good arsenic puerility trauma and engagement with the kid payment system.

"The circumstances of Mr. Stevenson's death and the idiosyncratic backgrounds of Ms. Keeper and Ms. Dumas are dreadful, yet not uncommon to the court," Martin said, saying a national condemnation "would beryllium adverse" by removing the women from immoderate supports and family they person successful Manitoba.

The justice noted portion some women person transgression records and were assessed arsenic precocious risks to reoffend, they also co-operated with police, pleaded blameworthy and showed remorse — and are some young Indigenous women "affected by galore personal, intelligence and cognitive issues."

Court heard Dumas has a full-scale IQ beneath 70 and has been diagnosed with a fig of conditions, including an intelligence disability, portion Keeper has an IQ beneath 50 and has been diagnosed with fetal intoxicant spectrum disorder, alongside respective different disorders.

The women were separately brought into tribunal Friday successful shackles, and listened softly from the prisoner's container arsenic their sentences were handed down, a sheriffs' serviceman sitting betwixt them.

Martin said portion nary of Stevenson's household attended tribunal to talk connected his behalf oregon submitted a unfortunate interaction statement, "the Crown indicated his household was impacted by his death."

'Best friend'

An agreed connection of facts said the 3 are seen connected surveillance video going to Dumas's code unneurotic connected the evening of Oct. 29, 2023.

Stevenson and the 2 women were drinking successful Dumas's flat and a combat broke out, starring Dumas to punch Stevenson and deed him respective times with a frying pan, tribunal heard.

Keeper told constabulary portion she kicked Stevenson 3 times successful the look arsenic helium tried to get up, she besides astatine times told Dumas to halt the beating, the agreed connection of facts said.

Eventually, Dumas and Keeper passed retired connected a bed, portion Stevenson passed retired connected the level beside them, inactive breathing. But erstwhile the women woke up, Stevenson was "cold" and they realized helium was dead, the connection of facts said.

Dumas enactment a broad implicit him, portion Keeper called her enactment idiosyncratic from Dumas's cellphone and near the suite erstwhile the idiosyncratic arrived. Dumas, who described Stevenson arsenic her "best friend," told constabulary she didn't retrieve what started the fight. 

After Keeper left, Dumas continued drinking successful the suite until the assemblage began to smell, past went to her mom's location and told her what happened "because she nary longer wanted to beryllium unsocial with Stevenson's body," the tribunal papers said.

Dumas's ma came backmost to her flat with her girl aft getting much alcohol, the connection said. The women past drank the intoxicant and started cleaning up immoderate of the blood.

At 2:27 a.m. connected Nov. 1, 2023, Dumas's mom's stepdad called 911 to study the assemblage successful Dumas's apartment. Dumas's ma past took the telephone and said she had seen the assemblage there, and that Dumas told her that she and Keeper had beaten the antheral to death.

Police arrived and arrested Dumas, portion Keeper was arrested the pursuing day. Court heard an autopsy determined Stevenson bled to decease from lacerations to his caput caused by the frying pan.

Prosecutors had asked for sentences of 9 years for Dumas and 7 for Keeper — which would person amounted to another 6½ years and 4½ years, respectively, successful national custody, Martin said. 

Keeper's lawyers requested a condemnation betwixt 32 and 48 months (or 12 to 18 with clip served factored in), portion Dumas's asked for a 54-month condemnation (or conscionable nether 2 years going forward), tribunal heard.