18-year-old convicted in 3 Point Douglas killings says victims 'should be alive and enjoying their lives'

WARNING: This story contains graphic details.

The now 18-year-old who randomly killed three people in Winnipeg's Point Douglas neighbourhood almost three years ago says he's "truly ashamed" and "committed to change."

The series of early morning attacks on Aug. 22, 2022, took the lives of three people: Danielle Dawn Ballantyne, 36; Marvin William Felix, a 54-year-old amputee who used a wheelchair; and Troy Baguley, 51.

All three were badly beaten within blocks of each other in separate attacks. Ballantyne died that morning. Both Felix and Baguley later died in hospital.

Two people, both 15 at the time of the killings, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the deaths of Ballantyne and Felix. Both were also charged with manslaughter in Baguley's death, but that charge was stayed in January for one of the teens.

In hearings that began Monday, Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Gerald Chartier heard arguments on whether the other person convicted, now 18, should be sentenced as an adult.

The teen can't be named due to provisions under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Prosecutors say he took part in a "sadistic" killing spree that targeted vulnerable people with "unrelenting" violence, including repeatedly kicking the victims in the head.

Crown prosecutor Jodi Koffman argued the teen was morally responsible for the killings, and that a seven-year sentence — the maximum youth sentence for second-degree murder — is not enough to hold him accountable or to protect society.

But defence lawyer Laura Robinson said the Crown failed to prove the teen had the moral capacity of an adult at the time of the killings.

Court heard he's been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mild intellectual disability and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

After arguments wrapped up Thursday, the 18-year-old read a prepared statement in court, with family members and supporters of his victims sitting in the gallery. He said he takes full responsibility for the pain and suffering he caused.

"I do not ask for forgiveness, but I do ask for a chance to prove that I am not the same person who did these acts," he said.

"I will carry the burden of my actions for the rest of my life, as I should."

Prosecutors have recommended both teens receive adult sentences, which would mean automatic life sentences on the second-degree murder charges.

The Crown is also seeking seven years of parole ineligibility for the teen. While an adult sentenced for second-degree murder is ineligible for parole for 10 years, someone who receives an adult sentence for an offence committed when they were 14 or 15 years old is eligible for parole in five to seven years.

Prosecutors previously said the teen has "an unbroken criminal history" that began before he turned 12 years old and continued until shortly before his 18th birthday, calling the change in his behaviour around that time "suspicious."

They also said while he was in the community, the teen was outside the control of adults in his life, and that he killed animals, took part in gang culture and collected weapons.

'No idea why he did what he did'

No motive has been offered in the killings.

Robinson said her client was an "impulsive, immature, troubled adolescent whose judgment was impaired by alcohol and drugs" at the time.

New details about the convicted killer's thinking emerged Thursday, as Robinson detailed comments he made during a medical assessment after pleading guilty in the three deaths.

He told a doctor that he had "no idea why he did what he did" in any of the three killings, according to Robinson.

After watching surveillance footage of the fatal beatings, he said the attacks should never have happened.

"Not just because I'm in jail, but for them — they should be alive and enjoying their lives," he told the doctor.

Robinson has asked for a maximum youth sentence for her client, but also argued for parole eligibility in five years if he is sentenced as an adult.

She said her client was exposed to domestic violence and alcohol abuse as a child, and that — combined with his cognitive disabilities, involvement with the child welfare system and Indigenous heritage — all connect to his involvement in the criminal justice system.

Justice Chartier reserved his decision until a later date.