A troubled Winnipeg teen has admitted to killing and dismembering his father inside their Winnipeg home.
The boy, who was 17 at the time of the June 2009 attack and can't named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty to the charge of first-degree murder last week in exchange for a promise from justice officials not to seek an adult penalty against him.
He will be sentenced later this spring following completion of a court-ordered report, which will study his background, possible reasons for committing the crime and his prospects for the future. He remains in custody.
As a youth convicted of first-degree murder, he will be given a maximum sentence of six years imprisonment and four years of community supervision. If raised to adult court, he would have received an automatic life sentence with parole eligibility after seven years behind bars.
Sources have told the Winnipeg Free Press the boy was struggling with a variety of emotional issues at the time of the killing, which happened following an argument that erupted while the pair was watching televised tributes to pop superstar Michael Jackson, who died earlier that same day.
Despite the connection, there is no evidence something specific about Jackson's death was the trigger.
More details about the teen's troubled relationship with his 49-year-old father will be presented at his sentencing hearing. The family unit had been split several months earlier, with the boy living full time with his father while two other siblings were living full time with his mother.
The Winnipeg Free Press uncovered additional details about the boy's erratic behaviour in the weeks preceding the slaying. He was overheard by several people at his high school discussing how to clean up blood, how to dispose of a body and even where a gun could be purchased. The heavy-set boy was subjected to frequent teasing from others because of his appearance and for wearing a backpack with cartoon characters on it.
A former high school caretaker previously claimed her concerns about the boy were ignored in the weeks preceding the slaying. Tracy Rose said the teen began hanging around the school after hours, often conversing with her and two co-workers.
"We'd get in at 3 (p.m.) and he was always waiting there. Sometimes he'd stay until 8:30 or 9 p.m. He said his dad was never at home, that he was alone lots, that there was never much food in the house," Rose said.
"It was like we were all he had. He was the laughingstock of the entire school, always getting picked on. So he'd just hang around the school all night with us."
Rose said she went to the school vice-principal in May 2009 after the teen made a series of comments that alarmed her and suggested he may have a propensity for violence. She said he was also discussing symptoms of being bipolar and would often switch from a happy, laughing teen to someone much more "dark and quiet."
Rose claimed the vice-principal brushed off her concerns. She wasn't happy with the response and said she spoke to the school guidance counsellor, who said he would look into her concerns. Rose doesn't believe anything was done. School officials confirmed they launched an internal investigation, but would not release their findings publicly.
An extensive psychiatric assessment was conducted and found the boy was not suffering from any major mental illness at the time he killed his father with a hammer and knife. That finding eliminated a possible defence of being not criminally responsible, which could have resulted in the youth going to a mental health facility instead of jail.
The killing went undiscovered for nearly a month. The teen apparently lived in the home with his father's body for several days. The man's employer and concerned family members began phoning. That's when the teen moved the body to another location.
Sources say the body was beheaded and dismembered, then placed in several garbage bags. The remains were driven more than two hours north of Winnipeg and placed in dense forest underneath large rocks. The teen then returned to his father's home and continued living alone for several more weeks.
Police learned about the slaying when the man's estranged spouse called to report a crime. Sources say her son had phoned her days earlier, asking if he could live with her and his two siblings.
Sources told the Winnipeg Free Press on Monday police eventually recovered the victim's remains following a lengthy search, in the exact area the teen led them to. The boy's mother has been present in court for his appearances there and continues to support him, according to various sources.
