The first-degree murder trial for a man charged with fatally stabbing a woman to death as she walked to work in downtown Calgary is scheduled to begin Monday in Court of Kings Bench.
The accused, Micheal John Adenyi, will be tried before a jury.
Vanessa Ladouceur was killed on March 18, 2022, in the 100 block of 10 Avenue S.E. She was 31.
Police were initially called to reports of an assault around 7 a.m. on that day. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered an unconscious woman, who was later identified as Ladouceur.
Police said she worked as a personal trainer in a downtown office building and was no more than 50 steps from safety when she was brutally attacked by a man she didn’t know.
Ladouceur died on scene, despite the efforts of first responders to save her.
Adenyi, then 26, was arrested a short time later and charged with first-degree murder.
Police at the time described the killing as a random, senseless, cowardly act of violence. Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson also called it “a deliberate act of violence” that resulted in the first-degree murder charge.
Ladouceur’s death became a catalyst for calls on the city to do more to improve downtown safety and combat public disorder.