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Mentally handicapped man sentenced to six years for fatal stabbing

Apr 13, 2018 | 12:30 PM

Lethbridge – A 41-year-old mentally handicapped Alberta man with an IQ of 45 has been given six years in prison for fatally stabbing his sister’s boyfriend during a drunken fight.

Stacey Charles Wahpistikwan was sentenced more than a year after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the death of 36-year-old Silas Kiseyinewakup.

He admitted to stabbing Kiseyinewakup during a confrontation outside the trailer they were living in near Taber.

Sentencing was pushed back multiple times, due to delays in the preparation of numerous pre-sentence reports for Wahpistikwan.

While outlining his decision, Judge Derek Redman noted factors that had been identified in several of those reports. One revealed that the offender is clinically impaired as he suffers from a moderate mental disability that prevents him from being able to predict the outcomes of his actions.

A Gladue report looking into his Aboriginal heritage, found that Wahpistikwan was initially abandoned by his parents in the hospital at birth, and that alcohol abuse and violence were a part of his upbringing.

He continues to struggle with addiction issues, but as Redman noted, he has shown interest in seeking treatment.

Redman acknowledged that Wahpistikwan and the victim had been drinking heavily on the night of the incident, and that it was Kiseyinewakup who pulled the knife during a fight – stating that Wahpistikwan’s actions were impulsive and not planned.

The sentence falls between the Crown prosecutor’s recommendation of seven years and the defence request of four to five years.

Wahpistikwan was also given a credit of 990 days for time already served in pre-trial custody, leaving just over three years on the sentence.