A woman has been found guilty of manslaughter and unlawful confinement in the death of Patrick Dong at Saskatoon’s Court of Queen’s Bench on Wednesday afternoon.
The woman was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful confinement. During her trial in December 2018, she pleaded not guilty to the three charges.
On Wednesday, the woman was found not guilty of kidnapping Dong.
Dong, 37, who was from Saskatoon, was found unresponsive on a gravel road east of Highway 60, which is southwest of the city, on Oct. 23, 2016.
The woman’s name cannot be published under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, because she was 17 years old at the time of the offence.
According to an agreed statement of facts, the girl admitted to stabbing Dong six times and causing his death.
In his written decision, Justice Shawn Smith said there was no suggestion that the killing was planned and deliberate. Smith wrote the Crown also failed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the intent for second-degree murder.
The Crown argued the woman meant to cause bodily harm, proving intent, and combined with kidnapping and forcible confinement, could make the case for first-degree murder. Meanwhile, the defence argued for a manslaughter verdict.
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“It’s the verdict we asked for on the murder charge. The additional conviction for unlawful confinement will become a factor in sentencing,” defence lawyer Carson Demmans said.
“She always wanted to take responsibilities for her actions. We just wanted a fair verdict on those facts,” Demmans said.
When taking the stand in her defence, the woman said she was drunk and high at the time, but said it was not her intention to beat up Dong or kill him in October 2016. The teenager said her friends were upset because they believed Dong had stolen speakers and a phone.
According to the girl’s testimony, that’s when a group of people, including herself and Dong, got into a truck and threatened to take Dong out of the city and leave him there if he didn’t confess.
The accused testified when outside of the city, she grabbed a bat from the back of the truck and started hitting Dong in the back and ribs.
She said Dong kept trying to run away and he eventually fell down on the dirt road.
The teen said she then stabbed Dong in the leg. She said she thought she only stabbed him once.
The Crown is seeking an adult sentence. A hearing has been scheduled for May.
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