A Calgary man has admitted to stabbing his case worker to death at an assisted-living facility nearly two years ago.
Brandon Newman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Deborah Onwu on Oct. 25, 2019.
An agreed statement of facts was read in the courtroom Friday, detailing the day of the incident.
Newman was 18 at the time of the murder, a resident in a Woods Homes facility in Marda Loop.
On Oct. 25, Onwu was on a night shift in the facility when Newman returned around 2:05 a.m.
Roughly 30 minutes later, Newman stabbed Onwu 19 times, with three blows penetrating vital organs. Onwu died at the scene.
Following the stabbing, Newman left the residence and discarded the knife under a bush.
He was arrested by police a few hours later near the Drop-In Centre in downtown Calgary.
Friends and Family of Onwu have been advocating for more protections for care workers since her death nearly two years ago.
“At the end of the day, we still are crying out for justice. I don’t know what the sentencing is going to be. So that’s another step that we have to wait to take,” said Rebecca Opoku, a friend of Onwu’s and a care worker.
“Once that is done, perhaps we can then maybe feel a little better.”
Opoku hopes Newman’s sentence will encourage changes.
“Importantly, we have always been seeking justice and looking forward to the justice that will be served in her name.” said Opoku. “Her legacy will be continued by the government or the system ensuring that better safety measures are put in place so that what happened to her will not happen to another worker.”
Newman has undergone multiple psychiatric assessments, and was declared fit to stand trial.
A trial was scheduled to begin next month.
Newman is to be back in court on Sept. 24, when a date will be set for his sentencing hearing.
With files from Jessie Weisner, Global News.