'Vicious' stabbing death of St. Boniface senior lands woman 12-year sentence

A woman who pleaded guilty to stabbing a senior to death in her St. Boniface home two years ago has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison.

Melissa Gabriel, 37, was given 12 years for manslaughter in the stabbing death of 89-year-old Dorothy Dykens in May of 2015.

"Her attitude toward the offence reflects a lack of insight into what she has done," provincial court Judge Ryan Rolston said in court Wednesday, adding Dykens was clearly vulnerable.

"This was a vicious, random attack on a woman in her own home."

Police found Dykens dead in her Tremblay Street home on May 17, 2015. An autopsy revealed she was stabbed 68 times.

Gabriel was renting a room from Dykens' neighbour Nina Kaczmarek, who was on vacation in the U.S. at the time of the attack. Kaczmarek's dog was also stabbed; Gabriel was tasked with taking care of it in Kaczmarek's absence.

Gabriel called 911 and police found her intoxicated in Kaczmarek's home, with empty bottles of alcohol close by. She was arrested and has been behind bars ever since. In February, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

55 past convictions

Gabriel is from Skownan First Nation, Man. Court heard she suffered a series of physical and sexual abuses throughout her life.

She has a history of alcohol and drug abuse with 55 convictions — 11 of which were for violent offences — and lives with various mental health issues, court heard.

She has at different times been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anti-social personality disorder, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions.

Crown attorney Sharyl Thomas was seeking a 15-year sentence. Thomas argued Gabriel was a danger to the public and failed to follow through on substance abuse treatment in the past. Gabriel has admitted she stopped taking prescribed medications in the months before the attack because of side effects she was experiencing.

Defence lawyer Matthew Gould previously argued Gabriel was a victim of violence in the home growing up, and that a combination of related mental health challenges warranted a seven-year sentence.

'I do not expect forgiveness'

In his sentencing ruling, Judge Rolston described Gabriel's struggles with mental illnesses, propensity for violence and substance abuse as a "ticking time bomb."

After the hearing, Gould read a statement from Gabriel where she admitted it was a "terrible mistake" to stop taking her medication.

"I am not a monster. I think about the victim every day and how I would do anything to go back and make things right, if I could," the statement from Gabriel reads. "Since then I've been taking my medication as prescribed and have stabilized.

"Jail is a very lonely place and I will be here for a very long time. I understand that an apology will never make things right, and I do not say these words as an excuse for what happened. I do not expect forgiveness from the victim's family, but they should know that I am haunted by my own thoughts when I think about what happened and am truly sorry."

With time served, Gabriel will spend the next nine years and nine months in prison.