Latest news with #JamalWheeler
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Man gets 7-year sentence for Edmonton LRT stabbing, his 4th violent offence on transit
The man who fatally stabbed a stranger outside Edmonton's Belvedere LRT station has been handed a seven-year prison sentence — his latest conviction for violence on public transit. Jamal Wheeler, 29, pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter in the July 9, 2023 killing of Rukinisha Nkundabatware. He'd never met Nkundabatware before, apart from a brief altercation inside the station, minutes earlier. The 52-year-old father, who came to Canada as a refugee from Congo, took the train to Belvedere to meet a friend. Video played in court Monday shows Wheeler coming toward the two men across the transit centre bus loop and stabbing the victim. Nkundabatware ran across the street and collapsed, where he died from a single wound to the chest. "This was a completely unprovoked attack on a stranger," Crown prosecutor Shivani Naidu-Barrett said Monday. "You saw how the victim was walking across the street on his own. There was no threat by him, and Mr. Wheeler just comes up and stabs him." With enhanced credit for the past two years Wheeler has already spent in custody, his time behind bars is reduced to about 4½ years. This is Wheeler's fourth time being sentenced for a violent incident in Edmonton's transit system. In 2016, armed with an axe, he robbed a stranger at a west Edmonton transit centre. He also punched a man on the Belvedere LRT train platform, sending him falling to the tracks. The following year, after a jail sentence for those offences, he used bear spray on three bystanders at a southeast bus terminal. At the time, he was under release conditions barring him from Edmonton transit property. Wheeler also has other convictions related to violence and weapons on his record. But Naidu-Barrett said his history of targeting transit users is especially aggravating when it comes to the latest attack, which prompted an outcry about safety issues in the city's transit system and public spaces. Court of King's Bench Justice Kent Teskey addressed Wheeler directly throughout parts of his decision. "When people have to look over their shoulder and think: Is this person just going to work or is this person going to throw a punch? ... That has an impact on the whole community." 'This is not the first time' Several of Nkundabatware's children watched the sentencing process in the courtroom. One of his sons, David Nkundabatware, wrote in a victim impact statement that he avoids the LRT and the transit station where the attack happened. "I now live in constant fear," he said. "We lost not just a loved one, but also a source of support, guidance and strength. His killing has left a permanent scar on our lives." Defence lawyer Tariq Salloum told the court that Wheeler's actions have to be considered in the context of his upbringing in "trauma, addiction and chaos." Wheeler was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and ADHD as a child, with an assessment at the time calling him "impervious to the consequences of his actions" and impulsive. Court heard he was separated from his parents at a young age and raised without meaningful connection to his Métis heritage, ultimately dropping out of school in Grade 9 and beginning a lifelong struggle with drug addiction at 15. Acts of violence on public transit aren't exclusive to Wheeler, Salloum said. "That may speak to our issues with regards to dealing with people like Mr. Wheeler, when we don't have safe housing for them, we don't have proper addictions resources. They don't have anywhere else to be other than transit," he said. Before he was sentenced, Wheeler apologized in court for his actions. "I deeply regret what happened," he said. Salloum argued for a sentence of five to six years, while the Crown said seven to nine years is the appropriate range. Teskey ultimately landed on seven years, saying the sentence has to reflect both Wheeler's background and a message about the community's right to feel safe in public spaces. "Where I become concerned is this: While you have your background and your FASD, this is not the first time the court has dealt with you with regards to a transit centre," Teskey told Wheeler. "These are all people in our community that you had an impact on. And the court's dealt with you and tried to reform your behaviour, and it was not successful." He told Wheeler that he needs to change that pattern. "Your responsibility, your job, is to take the sentence I have imposed and try to make yourself better so you don't hurt people in the future."
CBC
5 days ago
- CBC
Man gets 7-year sentence for Edmonton LRT stabbing, his 4th violent offence on transit
Social Sharing The man who fatally stabbed a stranger outside Edmonton's Belvedere LRT station has been handed a seven-year prison sentence — his latest conviction for violence on public transit. Jamal Wheeler, 29, pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter in the July 9, 2023 killing of Rukinisha Nkundabatware. He'd never met Nkundabatware before, apart from a brief altercation inside the station, minutes earlier. The 52-year-old father, who came to Canada as a refugee from Congo, took the train to Belvedere to meet a friend. Video played in court Monday shows Wheeler coming toward the two men across the transit centre bus loop and stabbing the victim. Nkundabatware ran across the street and collapsed, where he died from a single wound to the chest. "This was a completely unprovoked attack on a stranger," Crown prosecutor Shivani Naidu-Barrett said Monday. "You saw how the victim was walking across the street on his own. There was no threat by him, and Mr. Wheeler just comes up and stabs him." With enhanced credit for the past two years Wheeler has already spent in custody, his time behind bars is reduced to about 4½ years. This is Wheeler's fourth time being sentenced for a violent incident in Edmonton's transit system. In 2016, armed with an axe, he robbed a stranger at a west Edmonton transit centre. He also punched a man on the Belvedere LRT train platform, sending him falling to the tracks. The following year, after a jail sentence for those offences, he used bear spray on three bystanders at a southeast bus terminal. At the time, he was under release conditions barring him from Edmonton transit property. Wheeler also has other convictions related to violence and weapons on his record. But Naidu-Barrett said his history of targeting transit users is especially aggravating when it comes to the latest attack, which prompted an outcry about safety issues in the city's transit system and public spaces. Court of King's Bench Justice Kent Teskey addressed Wheeler directly throughout parts of his decision. "When people have to look over their shoulder and think: Is this person just going to work or is this person going to throw a punch? ... That has an impact on the whole community." 'This is not the first time' Several of Nkundabatware's children watched the sentencing process in the courtroom. One of his sons, David Nkundabatware, wrote in a victim impact statement that he avoids the LRT and the transit station where the attack happened. "I now live in constant fear," he said. "We lost not just a loved one, but also a source of support, guidance and strength. His killing has left a permanent scar on our lives." Defence lawyer Tariq Salloum told the court that Wheeler's actions have to be considered in the context of his upbringing in "trauma, addiction and chaos." Wheeler was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and ADHD as a child, with an assessment at the time calling him "impervious to the consequences of his actions" and impulsive. Court heard he was separated from his parents at a young age and raised without meaningful connection to his Métis heritage, ultimately dropping out of school in Grade 9 and beginning a lifelong struggle with drug addiction at 15. Acts of violence on public transit aren't exclusive to Wheeler, Salloum said. "That may speak to our issues with regards to dealing with people like Mr. Wheeler, when we don't have safe housing for them, we don't have proper addictions resources. They don't have anywhere else to be other than transit," he said. Before he was sentenced, Wheeler apologized in court for his actions. "I deeply regret what happened," he said. Salloum argued for a sentence of five to six years, while the Crown said seven to nine years is the appropriate range. Teskey ultimately landed on seven years, saying the sentence has to reflect both Wheeler's background and a message about the community's right to feel safe in public spaces. "Where I become concerned is this: While you have your background and your FASD, this is not the first time the court has dealt with you with regards to a transit centre," Teskey told Wheeler. "These are all people in our community that you had an impact on. And the court's dealt with you and tried to reform your behaviour, and it was not successful." He told Wheeler that he needs to change that pattern.
CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
Man who killed Edmonton father at LRT station sentenced to 7 years in prison
The man who fatally stabbed an Edmonton father at an LRT station has been sentenced to seven years in prison. Rukinisha Nkundabatware, 52, was attacked at the Belvedere LRT station on the evening of July 9, 2023. Jamal Wheeler, 29, was charged with second-degree murder in his death. Jamal Wheeler Jamal Wheeler Last November he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. According to the agreed statement of facts, Nkundabatware had taken the LRT from Clairview to Belvedere station around 9 p.m. to meet a friend. The two men were standing on the south side of 129 Avenue south of the transit centre at 9:48 p.m., when an unknown man, later identified as Wheeler, came running from the transit centre and chased after Nkundabatware's friend. The document says the friend ran from Wheeler, who pulled a knife out of his waistband and stabbed Nkundabatware in the chest before running from the scene. Nkundabatware was pronounced dead at the scene. Rukinisha Nkundabatware homicide A crowd gathers outside Belvedere LRT Station on July 9, 2023 after the death of Rukinisha Nkundabatware. An autopsy showed a single stab wound that measured 4.5 centimetres by 1.8 centimetres. It injured his lung, heart, chest wall, as well as skin and soft tissues. An immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nkundabatware came to Canada with his wife and seven children to escape violence at home. Belvedere death July 9 2023 An Edmonton police officer uses their flashlight to examine a scene at Edmonton's Belvedere Station on July 9, 2023. Police used a sheet to cover what appeared to be a body. According to the agreed statement of facts, police used CCTV footage from the transit station to identify Wheeler, who had the same colourful sneakers and 'I (heart) P***y' tattoo as the attacker captured on camera. The court documents show Wheeler admitted to stabbing Nkundabatware in a subsequent police interview, and admitted it was 'objectively foreseeable that death could result from his unlawful act.' At the sentencing hearing on Monday, court heard Wheeler has a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder diagnosis. He was born to a mother who suffered from addiction issues and never met his father. Court heard he has a long criminal history, including previous incidents of targeting transit users. He has been homeless and unemployed for most of his adult life. In a victim impact statement read by the Crown, Nkundabatware's son David said he has lived in constant fear since his father's death, especially while using public transit. He said his life feels broken and his father's death has left a permanent scar. Wheeler also addressed the court. 'I just want to say that I'm sorry for my actions. I deeply regret what happened,' he said. The defence asked for a five to six year sentence, while the Crown asked for seven to nine years. As he read his sentence, Justice Kent J. Teskey spoke directly to Wheeler, telling him his crime had a direct impact on society. 'It causes people to feel unsafe, Mr. Wheeler,' he said. 'When people don't feel safe it has a significant effect on society.' He reiterated that people have the right to feel safe while using transit. 'They have the right not to have their head on a swivel, not worried about what is going to happen.' Justice Teskey said he took into account Wheeler's life circumstances when making his decision, but also the severity of the case and Wheeler's criminal history. 'This is a very serious offence,' Justice Teskey said. 'This is not the first time the court has dealt with you.' With credit for 916 days served, Wheeler will spend another 1,639 days, or 4.5 years in prison. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
