Fredericton murderer says addiction and mental illness could have contributed to crime

A Fredericton woman convicted of murder says drug addiction and mental illness could have contributed to her stabbing a man to death three years ago.

Angela April Walsh spoke in Court of King's Bench in Burton on Thursday as part of her sentencing hearing following her second-degree murder conviction in January.

It was the first time Walsh publicly spoke to a courtroom following her initial charge of first-degree murder in the April 2020 killing of Clark Ernest Greene.

Greene's body was found stabbed and bludgeoned near the gazebo in Wilmot Park on April 15, 2020.

Walsh was charged with first-degree murder alongside Zachary Murphy, her boyfriend at the time, but Murphy pleaded guilty in 2021 to the lesser charge of second-degree murder. 

"I wanted to apologize and say that I'm sorry for all the harm, mistreatment and pain and hurt I've caused this family,"  Walsh said Thursday as a handful of Greene's family members sat in the gallery. "I deeply regret it."

She said she'd suffered addition and mental health problems throughout her life.

"But that's not an excuse for what has happened.

"It could be a contributing factor, but I'm trying to work on my sobriety and being a better person than I was three years ago, so that way I can change things in the future."

Walsh was set to stand trial on first-degree murder in January, but Murphy, a key Crown witness in the case, took full responsibility for Greene's killing, prompting the Crown and defence to agree to allowing Walsh to also plead guilty to second-degree murder.

She faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, but Justice Kathryn Gregory can grant her parole eligibility anywhere between 10 and 25 years into her sentence.

Victim was naive, vulnerable, family say

Earlier Thursday, the court heard victim impact statements from Greene's mother, brother and aunt, about how his murder has upended their lives.

Cynthia Greene, his mother, said her son was diagnosed with autism in middle school and had been bullied and taken advantage of even as an adult.

"It wasn't easy being Clark Greene," she said. "Very few people truly liked him."

At the same time, she said, he was a "gentle soul" who was always willing to help her around the yard at her home.

Since his killing, she's suffered nightmares, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has had to go on long-term disability from work, Greene said.

"You can never really process that your son's been savagely murdered," she said.

"I wanted him back. I wanted it all to be a mistake, but the stark truth was that he was gone and would never be back."

Sentencing recommendations

Crown prosecutor Rachel Anstey told Gregory she's asking that Walsh not be eligible for parole for 15 years, given the brutal nature of the murder.

Referring to facts agreed to by both the Crown and defence, Anstey said it was Walsh who lured Greene to meet her at Wilmot Park, and told Murphy in advance to knock him out with a pipe in order to rob him.

Anstey said that once Murphy knocked Greene unconscious, Walsh took a knife from Greene's pocket and stabbed him 20 times in the chest and face before beating him even more with the pipe and leaving him to die.

"He was viciously stabbed, beaten and left alone on the cold ground to bleed to death," Anstey said.

"The Crown submits the brutality of this offence is an aggravating factor."

Defence lawyer T.J. Burke said considering Murphy was granted parole ineligibility for 11 years, Walsh should get 12.

Burke argued that Walsh shows promise that she can be rehabilitated within that time, considering she was a "youthful offender," being 21 years old when the crime happened.

He said she's also been sober and taken advantage of educational programs available to her in provincial jail, along with participating in church.

"Is there evidence to suggest in what I've highlighted … that Ms. Walsh poses a dangerous in the future? I would say there is nothing in there to suggest that," Burke said.

"In fact it's quite the opposite. Ms. Walsh, the person she is today is not the person she was three years ago."

Gregory reserved her sentencing decision until June 16.