WETASKIWIN, Alta. — Family of a 17-year-old girl stabbed to death as she sat in her desk in an Alberta high school had angry words for her killer at a sentencing hearing Thursday.
Dale Winkler said loved ones of his daughter Jennifer Winkler haven't been able to move on with their lives since she was stabbed multiple times by a classmate in a high school in Leduc, south of Edmonton, in 2021.
"It's almost too much to bear," Winkler said as supporters with shirts calling for "Justice for Jenny" held back tears in a Wetaskiwin, Alta., courtroom.
He then crumpled a piece of paper and threw it at Dylan Pountney.
"Rot in hell you bastard!" Winkler screamed as he stormed out of the courtroom while pointing at Pountney.
Pountney, 22, was convicted in July of second-degree murder. The defence had admitted Pountney killed the girl but argued he was suffering from a psychosis and lacked the intent for murder.
Pountney occasionally wiped tears from his face as victim impact statements were read in court.
The trial heard Pountney was 19 when he stabbed the girl in front of several horrified students and a teacher during a break in a social studies class at Christ the King School. She stood up then collapsed near the classroom door.
A chief medical officer testified the girl died from massive blood loss from five wounds near her neck and shoulder.
Court of King's Bench Justice Eric Macklin handed Pountney an automatic life sentence and ordered him to serve 12 years before he can apply for parole.
The judge said he took several factors into account in his decision, including Pountney's character and circumstances surrounding the attack.
"He took responsibility for his actions and stated he was ready to accept the punishment for what he had done," Macklin said.
"Mr. Pountney (has) acknowledged the harm caused to those individuals in the classroom who witnessed the events ... and expressed hope that they would be OK and would receive help."
A Crown prosecutor recommended Pountney serve 15 years before he can apply for parole, while the defence asked for 10 years.
Defence lawyer Derek Anderson told court Thursday that Pountney's mother once had a relationship with the girl's father and Pountney blamed the man for his mother's death.
The girl was an "indirect" target, Anderson said.
"He perceived wrongly that the deceased did something wrong, and he wanted to do something to get back."
Pountney's father said his son is sorry and has made changes since the killing. The trial heard Pountney wrote a book while in custody and is working on a second one. He has gone to counselling, has been sober and has converted to Islam.
"His family is extremely proud of what he has accomplished," Nathan Pountney told court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2024.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press