Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Calgary Man Who Stabbed Neighbour 37 Times Sentenced To Seven Years

The Canadian Press, 11 Dec, 2015 11:16 AM
  • Calgary Man Who Stabbed Neighbour 37 Times Sentenced To Seven Years
CALGARY — A man who argued he was fending off an attempted sex assault when he stabbed his new neighbour 37 times has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
 
Nicholas Rasberry was found guilty of manslaughter in October in the death of school teacher Craig Kelloway.
 
Rasberry admitted stabbing Kelloway after the two men and their wives had spent time drinking and visiting at a barbecue in May 2013. But he said he acted in self-defence.
 
Rasberry said that Kelloway, who was originally from Glace Bay, N.S., had threatened to sexually assault him and then his wife.
 
Calgary Queen's Bench Justice Robert Hall said he did not view the stabbing as "mere self-defence."
 
"Another aggravating factor is the devastating effect on the Kelloway family," Hall said. "He was of good character and had never been in trouble with the law."
 
Rasberry did not respond to the sentence, but said to a woman in the crowd "I love you." She replied, "I love you too."
 
With credit for time already spent in custody, Rasberry faces another five years and four months in prison.
 
The Crown has already appealed the conviction, arguing Rasberry should have been convicted of second-degree murder.
 
The judge had said at the time of his verdict that the prolonged attack on Kelloway, 31, was "excessive and unreasonable.''
 
"The amount of force used is so far out of proportion as to render the accused's actions as being unreasonable."
 
Hall did say there was a level of provocation and that's why he found Rasberry, 32, guilty of the lesser charge instead of second-degree murder.
 
Court heard Rasberry made a call to 911 after the attack, saying he'd stabbed Kelloway when the teacher tried to have sex with him after the women had left them alone.
 
He told investigators he felt like he had to "put him down,'' but said the last thing he wanted was for Kelloway to die.
 
The Crown had argued Rasberry, who didn't testify during the trial, had not sufficiently explained why he needed to use three knives or why the attack was so vicious.
 
A medical examiner testified that Kelloway's chest cavity, lungs, ribs, intestine and diaphragm were punctured. The expert said the attack was so violent that knife fragments, including the tip, were left in Kelloway's body.

MORE National ARTICLES

Vietnamese 'Boat People' Unite To Sponsor Syrians: 'It's The Least We Can Do'

Vietnamese 'Boat People' Unite To Sponsor Syrians: 'It's The Least We Can Do'
TORONTO — There are many memories of his desperate escape from a chaotic Communist Vietnam nearly 40 years ago that haunt Kyanh Do.

Vietnamese 'Boat People' Unite To Sponsor Syrians: 'It's The Least We Can Do'

Peace, Quiet And The Occasional Flashmob: How Libraries And Patrons Are Evolving

Peace, Quiet And The Occasional Flashmob: How Libraries And Patrons Are Evolving
HALIFAX — Libraries can conjure up images of dim, musty spaces and stern librarians with index fingers pressed to their lips, ready to shush.

Peace, Quiet And The Occasional Flashmob: How Libraries And Patrons Are Evolving

Canadian Man Faces DUI-Related Charges Following 4-Vehicle Crash In Florida

Canadian Man Faces DUI-Related Charges Following 4-Vehicle Crash In Florida
DANIA BEACH, Fla. — A Canadian man has been arrested on six DUI-related charges following a four-car crash in Florida.

Canadian Man Faces DUI-Related Charges Following 4-Vehicle Crash In Florida

Majority Of Quebec Schools Closed As Teachers, Public Sector Workers Off The Job

Majority Of Quebec Schools Closed As Teachers, Public Sector Workers Off The Job
MONTREAL — More than 400,000 government workers are off the job today across Quebec, including teachers, health-care workers and civil servants.

Majority Of Quebec Schools Closed As Teachers, Public Sector Workers Off The Job

Animal Activists Upset With Trophy Hunting Show Planned Planned For Trophy Hunting Show In Toronto

Animal Activists Upset With Trophy Hunting Show Planned Planned For Trophy Hunting Show In Toronto
Several animal rights groups are planning to protest the African Hunting Events show at a suburban Holiday Inn in mid-January.

Animal Activists Upset With Trophy Hunting Show Planned Planned For Trophy Hunting Show In Toronto

Ottawa May Want To Consider Targeted Steps To Cool Mortgage Borrowing: Report

OTTAWA — The federal government may want to consider targeted steps to "lean against" the shift toward significantly bigger mortgages, a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute suggests.

Ottawa May Want To Consider Targeted Steps To Cool Mortgage Borrowing: Report