Good Samaritans tried to save woman attacked by stranger, jury hears on Day 1 of murder trial

As Vanessa Ladouceur walked along 10th Avenue, headed to her early morning shift at a downtown Calgary fitness studio, she passed a man with a backpack and a bicycle who would, hours later, be charged with her murder. 

Michael Adenyi, 29, faces a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Ladouceur, 31. 

As Adenyi's trial got underway Monday, jurors heard an opening statement from prosecutor Carla MacPhail, who outlined the evidence expected to be called by the Crown. 

On March 18, 2022, Ladouceur left her downtown home to walk to work just a few blocks away. 

She walked past a man who the Crown says was Adenyi. 

The man she passed began following her — first on his bicycle, then on foot, running. 

He was "closing the gap between them," said MacPhail. "He continued his pursuit."

The man "bodychecked her off her feet into an alcove, where he attacked her."

The attack lasted 11 seconds and Ladouceur suffered eight stab wounds, according to MacPhail. 

A neighbour who heard Ladouceur's screams ran to his apartment window, saw the assault and yelled at the attacker to stop. 

Both end up at same hospital 

Security footage shows the man with the knife then ran from the scene. 

Ladouceur was able to get up and stumbled into a nearby lobby. By then, the neighbour made it to the lobby and together with another Good Samaritan tried to help. 

But Ladouceur was "very injured." She'd collapsed in the lobby and was unresponsive by the time first responders arrived.

A police officer accompanied the victim and paramedics to Foothills Hospital.

At the same time, Adenyi had turned up at the hospital, looking for help for cuts to his fingers and hands. 

He'd told hospital staff he injured his hands skateboarding after falling on glass. Suspicious, they alerted police.

The same officer who accompanied Ladouceur from the crime scene to the hospital arrested Adenyi "right there at the hospital for murder," said MacPhail. 

Jurors heard that a bloody knife found in the Calgary Tower parkade later came back with DNA on it from both Ladouceur and Adenyi.

Psychotic break

In her opening statement, MacPhail told jurors it's expected Adenyi's lawyers Kim Ross and Curtis Mennie will mount a not criminally responsible (NCR) defence. That means they intend to argue Adenyi was suffering from a psychotic break and was unable to understand that his actions were morally wrong. 

The Crown will argue Adenyi is criminally responsible for the fatal attack on Ladouceur.

"He pursued her until the moment was right to attack her," said MacPhail. 

"He stabbed her multiple times, intentionally killing her."

The trial is set to last four weeks.