A Calgary teenager who fatally stabbed a boy he’d never met was handed a seven-year sentence on Monday, the maximum punishment for a youth convicted of second-degree murder.
The killer can only be identified as SK because of a publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).
SK was 17 on June 6, 2024 when he fatally stabbed a 16-year-old he’d only met over social media.
Their social media interactions were “hostile and unfriendly,” noted Court of King’s Bench Justice Lisa Silver when delivering her decision Monday.
Silver sentenced SK to four years in custody followed by three years’ community supervision.
For a youth convicted of second-degree murder, the sentence is the maximum under the YCJA. The sentence was jointly proposed by prosecutor Rob Marquette and defence lawyers Sam Taylor and Rebecca Snukal.
SK ‘on the road to success’
Silver also sided with defence, crediting SK for the time he’d spent in custody to date.
“SK is now on the road to success [but the] journey is far from over,” the judge said, noting SK has participated in programming, requested one-on-one counselling and volunteered to mentor fellow inmates.
“Rehabilitation is an attainable goal.”
In issuing her decision, Silver outlined the facts of the case.
The court heard that in the weeks before the homicide, SK and Visser had feuded over social media.
When SK spotted Visser walking down a southeast street with his girlfriend, he ran up behind the couple and stabbed the victim at least three times.
‘The most terrible act’
At the time, Visser was carrying an expensive hooded sweatshirt known as a BAPE. SK demanded the BAPE which Visser handed over.
In the aftermath of the stabbing, SK ran from the scene, got rid of the clothing he’d been wearing and lied to his mother and police, telling them he’d acted in self-defence after being attacked by Visser.
Once confronted with CCTV footage, SK admitted to his role, telling investigators he’d blacked out with rage over the social media feud.
“You have done a terrible thing, the most terrible act that anyone can do,” Justice Lisa Silver said to SK, addressing the teen directly.
“And what for? All because of an argument, a dislike, a hoodie.”
At a sentencing hearing in June, Silver heard powerful victim impact statements from Visser’s parents and sister.
She noted the family is “bewildered in their grief … they count the days of their loss.”
