Overview

• Michael Adenyi is charged with first-degree murder in the 2022 death of Vanessa Ladouceur, a fitness instructor fatally stabbed in downtown Calgary.
• The defence argues Adenyi was hallucinating due to untreated psychosis and believed he was attacking a creature, claiming he is not criminally responsible (NCR).
• Justice Jane Sidnell instructed the jury to prioritize the NCR defence, which Adenyi must prove on a balance of probabilities, before considering manslaughter or murder charges.
• The prosecution alleges the attack was premeditated, citing Adenyi’s two-block pursuit of Ladouceur, body-checking her into an alcove, and inflicting multiple stab wounds, including six to her face.
• The jury has now commenced deliberations, tasked with determining if Adenyi’s mental disorder exempts him from criminal responsibility or if he is guilty of manslaughter, second-degree, or first-degree murder.