Charges laid against mom accused in stabbing three -- Depression harder for newcomers

Charges laid against mom

The Winnipeg woman accused of stabbing her two young children has been charged with attempted murder for the attack, police said Friday.

Investigators allege the 35-year-old woman grabbed a knife and stabbed her nine-year-old son and her four-month-old son Thursday night. It's believed she was then prevented from attacking her four-month-old niece by the little girl's mother -- who is the 32-year-old sister of the suspect.

The adult sister struggled with her and disarmed her, but was stabbed in the process. She was treated and released from hospital Thursday night. The children, initially listed in critical condition, were upgraded to stable condition on Friday.

The mother of the injured boys was grappling with post-partum depression and had been hospitalized in February, the Free Press previously reported.

The woman, who came to Canada from Somalia, lived on the fourth floor of 355 Kennedy St. with her two children.

She told police her husband had been using magic on her, according to a Free Press source.

The husband doesn't live in Canada.

On Friday afternoon, at the Manitoba Housing complex where the woman lived, many neighbours were still in shock. The building's management slipped support packages under suites' doors, urging residents coping with stress in the aftermath of the attack or other events to contact a mobile crisis hotline. "It's quite upsetting for everybody," said one woman, who lives in the building. "It's much too close to home."

Though many neighbours said they didn't know the woman -- with one adding building residents generally "keep to themselves" -- some said they often saw the woman smiling and laughing with her children and crossing the hallway to visit a friend.

She often entertained female guests, neighbours said.

After news of the attack broke, some hoped the incident would shed light on the need for support services for refugees and new Canadians. "For people from other countries, there are not enough agencies," said one woman who lives in the complex. "They don't know where to go (for support). Even people from here don't know where to go... it makes it tough on everybody."

Police, too, are having a tough time dealing with the violent attack, said Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen.

The attack left the four-month-old with multiple stab wounds to his lower body.

The nine-year-old was stabbed once before he fled the fourth-floor suite and sought help from security guards, who then called 911. "Our biggest concern is the well-being of the victims in this matter," Michalyshen said.

Police arrested the woman on the scene. Michalyshen said the woman had no previous run-ins with police.

He wouldn't comment on the woman's mental health, but said the WPS works with outside professionals to "get to the root of the issue" following incidents like the one that occurred Thursday.

"We have to rely on other organizations and other professionals to perform (psychological) assessments," Michalyshen said.

He said talk of the woman's post-partum depression is "speculation" but it was a possibility the woman suffered from it. Child and Family Services has been contacted about the two injured children, he said.

On Friday, women in traditional head coverings went into the sister's downtown apartment at about noon.

Some men who knew the injured sister said they were gathering with elders from the Somali community to talk about the stabbing.

The WPS child abuse unit continues to investigate the incident.

The woman is charged with three counts of attempted murder, assault with a weapon and assault. She is being held at the Winnipeg Remand Centre.

I have sympathy for this woman. I do not think she should be held in the remand centre, causing further overcrowding, when she is not dangerous. She has no prior record and suffers from severe depression, which is likely to worsen in prison. She should be granted bail as soon as possible and provided with mental health resources and services. 

Depression even harder for newcomers: experts

IMMIGRANT and refugee women grappling with post-partum depression in Winnipeg could find themselves isolated and alone, say local experts.

Gail Wylie, the executive director of Healthy Start for Mom & Me, helps about 100 mothers who are new Canadians develop their parenting skills. She said immigrant and refugee women in the group are encouraged to come forward privately if they have any symptoms associated with post-partum depression.

"There's so much personal shame involved in the feelings and the sadness associated with this," Wylie said. That shame isn't limited to just new Canadians, she said, but those moms have the added challenges of culture shock and language barriers that could magnify the problems.

"If I was transplanted against my plans to a country that was extremely different than what I grew up in, I can't really imagine how painful that might be," she said.

The issue came to light this week after a four-month-old boy and his nine-year-old brother were stabbed allegedly at the hands of their mother.

Police say the 35-year-old woman attacked the children in their suite on Kennedy Street late Thursday afternoon. The boys were listed in stable condition late Friday.

The Free Press has learned the mother has recently been suffering from post-partum depression.

Wylie called the violent incident "heartbreaking."

Dr. Murray Enns, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's medical director of the adult mental health program, said at least 80 per cent of new moms experience some form of baby blues, but only one out of every 1,000 will show psychotic features.

The WRHA does not track how many women seek help for post-partum depression, but has interpreters available who can translate Somali.

Millie Braun, family and child-care resources program director at Portage Avenue's Family Centre, is currently running a pilot program for refugee families from countries like Colombia, Sierra Leone, Eritrea and Somalia.

The program works with about 90 families a year, providing support to people trying to integrate. Some of the families are led by single mothers.

Workers will sometimes help families with child care or with setting up appointments, she said.

Financial trouble, faraway family and friends and poor housing can add to a person's stress level, Braun said.

"Many people are still worrying at the same time about family that's left behind, or a lot of grief and loss that they've experienced even prior to coming here and things that are still even going on back home," she said.

"I think it's difficult enough for moms to be raising children in isolation without a lot of support, and then you add on top of that everything that people have been through, especially people coming from war-torn countries," Braun said.

Having young children to care for may inhibit a single mother's access to learn English, said Noelle DePape, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba executive director. She said there can be "pretty massive" cultural barriers.

"It's very hard for moms with toddlers at home who don't always have a strong support network to even get out of the house or to access language programs, or employment training, or parenting support groups," she said.

Diagnosing post-partum depression isn't always clear, said Braun.

"We will often have people say, 'I cry a lot, I can't sleep,' and we would try to assist in getting some treatment for that, but I think there's all kinds of stigma attached to that as well."

Counselling and family therapy can be seen as a "Western concept," she said.

"I think that perceptions of people in other parts of the world are that you only get that kind of help if you're crazy," she said.

"I think there is some resistance to seeking help, mental-health supports, because of the associated stigma."

Mental illness may have fuelled attack on children
Post-partum depression is being eyed as a possible reason a 35-year-old mother went into a violent rage and stabbed her two young sons and sister in a Winnipeg apartment.
City police said the boys, aged four months and nine years, were in stable condition in hospital Friday.
Attempted murder charges were laid against their mom, who was raising the boys alone after moving to Canada from Somalia.
The boys’ 32-year-old aunt is out of hospital. She was credited for stopping the attack and potentially saving the children’s lives.
Police spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said the motive for the attack hasn’t been confirmed but police will receive assistance from other professionals in determining that.
“We have to get to the root of the issue here,” he said.
It’s believed the mom will undergo a psychiatric assessment.
A source said the boys’ dad is in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, which has been stressful for their mom.
Police were called to the fourth-floor suite at 355 Kennedy St., just north of Ellice Avenue, Thursday about 5:30 p.m. The building is owned and operated by Manitoba Housing.
Michalyshen said the suspect’s sister was visiting with her four-month-old daughter.
The attack began when the mom allegedly stabbed her four-month-old son several times and her nine-year-old son once.
She also allegedly tried to harm her infant niece.
Police said the sister disarmed and restrained the suspect during a struggle, despite suffering a stab wound to her midsection.
Michalyshen said the older boy escaped and notified a security guard, who called 911.
Tenant James Mayen encountered the blood-covered nine-year-old, who had a wound to the stomach area, in the lobby.
“He told me he was stabbed by his mom,” said Mayen, who lives across from the family.
Mayen said he often heard the mom screaming at the older boy in English and her native language.
“There’s yelling coming from the apartment all the time,” he said.
The infant son was rushed to hospital in critical condition, while the nine-year-old was taken in unstable condition, Michalyshen said.
A knife was recovered at the scene, he said.
Exposure to this kind of violence against children can have a profound impact on firefighters, paramedics and police, Michalyshen said.
“They will be thinking of this incident in days, weeks, months and years ahead,” he said. “No one is going to forget that.”
Police charged the mom with three counts of attempted murder and single counts of assault with a weapon and assault. She is in custody.
Child and Family Services is involved, Michalyshen said.

More immigrant moms facing mental health issues
Immigrant mothers are up to five times more likely to develop post-partum depression (PPD) than other Canadians, a leading child health researcher says.
Language and cultural differences and social isolation are two reasons for the greater risk, said Nicole Letourneau, a nursing professor and research fellow at the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy at the University of New Brunswick.
“It’s a really vulnerable group,” Letourneau said.
The tragic triple stabbing of two young boys and their aunt, allegedly by the boys’ mom, is bringing to light the issue of PPD because it might be a reason behind the attack.
Letourneau said some cultures stigmatize or don’t recognize depression, resulting in a lack of understanding or missed diagnosis because some mothers don’t seek help or have a peer network to refer them.
One in seven mothers is prone to PPD, she said.
To reduce the risk, public education, improved accessibility to support and better screening are required, and attitudes about depression must be changed, Letourneau said.
Some mothers with PPD also have elements of post-traumatic stress disorder from their experiences in war-torn African countries, said Kiran Pramesh, a community resource and family support worker at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba.
She said newcomers need to be educated about PPD and know it’s OK to seek help in Canada as they make a stressful and challenging adjustment to a new home.
“In many cultures it’s not socially acceptable to go out and speak about private matters,” Pramesh said.
Pramesh said there are many programs and services available to newcomers in Winnipeg — many are within walking distance of the site of Thursday’s attack — but there is room for more.
Some aren’t meeting their potential due to a lack of funding, she said.

I definitely feel that we need to have more programs and services available to immigrants in Winnipeg. There should be resources, language programs, employment assistance, housing assistance, support groups, parenting programs, mental health resources, etc. 

Mother in custody after two children stabbed in Winnipeg

Mother in custody after two children stabbed

A 35-year old mother remains in custody after an attack that sent her four-month old baby and nine-year-old son to hospital in critical condition.

Police said both children were stabbed in the stomach, with a source adding the infant suffered the most extensive wounds. Their condition has since been updated to stable.

The Free Press has learned the 35-year-old mother has recently been suffering from post-partum depression. Police, who had to use a translator to interview the woman Thursday night, are investigating what, if any, role that condition or any other possible mental-health issue may have played.

"Any time a stab wound happens to a four-month-old, no matter how superficial to an adult, that would be critical," Winnipeg police Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith told reporters at the scene.

The 33-year-old female victim, the sister of the woman arrested, is listed in stable condition, reportedly from a stab wound to the chest. She was stabbed while trying to protect the children, a source said.

Sources say the mother was the one who called police just after 5 p.m. Thursday. She allegedly left her apartment and calmly waited in the lobby for police to arrive.

The woman was led to a police car, her hands cuffed behind her back. She was wearing a long yellow dress and appeared to have a white gown covering part of her body.

The woman has no prior criminal record, but was taken to hospital by ambulance on Feb. 19, according to a source. She had given birth just a few weeks earlier and was report­edly suffering from post-partum depression. It's not known how long she was hospitalized or what kind of treatment she received.

The attacks created a chaotic rush-hour scene downtown, with more than a dozen police cars, ambulances and first responders converging outside the Manitoba Housing highrise complex at 355 Kennedy St., between Ellice Avenue and Qu'Appelle Avenue.

The incident occurred one block from Central Park, a neighbourhood that is home to many refugees and immigrants. Sources say the mother is originally from Africa, although it's unknown how long she has been in Canada.

Police told reporters at the scene Thursday the incident is believed to be domestic in nature. Smith con­firmed a female suspect had been arrested but didn't provide further details.

Kennedy Street is often crowded on warm evenings with many of the residents who live in the building and other units in the neighbour­hood. But the street was eerily quiet and deserted Thursday night.

A Winnipeg Police Service identi­fication officer could be seen through the large main-floor windows taking photographs in the building lobby. Several Manitoba Housing security guards were also on scene.

Police are expected to release further details at a news conference Friday morning.

Winnipeg mother charged with stabbing two children
A Winnipeg woman has been charged with three counts of attempted murder after her two young sons — a nine-year-old and a four-month-old — and her sister were stabbed.
The children were taken to hospital in critical condition Thursday with wounds to their upper bodies but have since been upgraded to stable, police said.

The 32-year-old sister of the woman was also stabbed as she tried to intervene, but was treated in hospital and released. The sister's four-month-old daughter was not injured, said Const. Jason Michalyshen.
The nine-year-old boy fled the suite in a downtown housing complex after being injured and notified security at the apartment, who then contacted emergency services, police said.
The 35-year-old mother was arrested shortly after the incident, which happened around 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the housing complex at 355 Kennedy St.
Police had to use a translator to interview the mother, who is originally from Africa, Michalyshen said. Neighbours told CBC News the family had moved to Winnipeg from Somalia four years ago.
The Winnipeg Free Press quotes unnamed sources as saying the mother had recently been suffering from postpartum depression.
The woman has also been charged with assault with a weapon and assault. She is in custody at the Provincial Remand Centre.
The children have been placed in the care of the provincial government's Child and Family Services agency.

Immigrants face challenges

People who work with newcomers say there can be stressful challenges for people who come to Canada.
There can be a sense of isolation for people because of language and cultural differences, said Noelle De Pape, executive director of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba, which offers transitional housing and social services to new Canadians.

While there are many support programs available, people need to be made aware of them and take advantage, she said.
People who have gone through refugee camps may not know how to access help, she added.
"We end up dealing with many issues that are at a crisis point with very expensive front-line services like police and hospital, but we need to focus on prevention and supporting families and their children," De Pape said.
She also noted the location of Thursday's stabbing "is right in the heart of … the newcomer service community, near Central Park."

This woman should be granted bail. She is suffering from depression and is a new immigrant, and prison will likely worsen her condition. I do not believe she is a danger to the public as she has no prior criminal record. 

Grief stricken father blaming himself -- Wishes he gave daughter more protection

Grief stricken dad blaming himself

Wishes he gave 23 year old daughter more protection

A day after her uncle was charged with her slaying, the grieving father of a Wolseley woman killed last week is blaming himself for not protecting her.

Ed Gastador said if he had protected her, his 23-year-old adopted daughter, Catherine, might be alive today.

"I should have given her more protection," Gastador said Saturday.

"We're just glad that (police) got him."

Winnipeg police said Mario Ronquillo Valdez, 36, has been charged with second-degree murder and failing to comply with conditions of a recognizance.

Catherine Gastador was discovered dead in her Preston Avenue condominium on Tuesday when her father went to see why she hadn't gone to work.

A knife was found beside her body.

Valdez, who is the brother of Catherine Gastador's adoptive mother, was arrested on Friday and has been detained in custody.

Ed Gastador said his wife, Charito, has no feelings towards her brother.

"She's crying for her daughter -- she doesn't care about him," he said.

"She has no sympathy for him."

Gastador said the slaying comes 28 years after he and his wife sponsored Valdez to move to Canada from the Philippines with the rest of his family.

"He came here when he was six years old. We wanted him to make a future here.

"This is a nightmare for me."

Uncle charged in Wolsely woman's death

The uncle of a Winnipeg woman slain last week has been charged with her death.

Winnipeg police said today that Mario Ronquillo Valdez, 36, has been charged with second degree murder and failure to comply with conditions of a recognizance.

Valdez, who was arrested on Friday, has been detained in custody.

Catherine Gastador, 23, was found dead on Tuesday by her father in a Preston Avenue condominium. Her father, Ed, had gone to the suite after the woman's employer phoned him to say she hadn't gone to work.

A knife was found beside the woman's body.

Valdez is brother of Gastador's adoptive mother.

Revoking protection orders 'not unusual' in abuse: expert
Catherine Gastador was granted a protection order against the man now accused of killing her her but just five months later sought to have it revoked.
Women may seek to revoke an order for a variety of reasons, including fear, family pressures, or a genuine belief they are no longer in need of protection, said Joy Dupont, training co-ordinator for Manitoba Justice’s victim services department.
“It’s not unusual ... that the person causing the fear will take steps to improve themselves or express remorse because they don’t want the relationship to end,” she said. “It’s not unusual that the person who got the protection order may think it’s safer now.”
In other cases a woman may be manipulated into revoking a protection order, believing it necessary to “keep the peace” with their friends or family, Dupont said.
The body of Catherine Gastador, 23, was found Tuesday in her condo and her adoptive uncle, 36-year-old Mario Ronquillo Valdez, is charged with second-degree murder.
Gastador was granted a three-year protection order against Valdez in February 2007 after telling the court he assaulted her on two separate occasions. According to court documents, one of the assaults occurred at the Merchants Hotel, where Valdez worked as a bartender and Gastador was a waitress. Gastador alleged Valdez choked her after the two got into an argument over a slow service complaint.
In June 2007, Gastador asked the court to set aside the protection order, calling it “a mistake.” Gastador said her drinking was partly to blame for the assaults and called Valdez her “favourite uncle.”
Describing the bar incident, Gastador wrote in an affidavit: “I might have made him feel like I was the boss of him ... He didn’t have to push me down and choke me, but I kind of asked for it because I was being disrespectful.”
It’s not clear when Valdez moved into the Preston Avenue condo building Gastador also called home.
Dupont — not speaking specifically of the Gastador case — said women in abusive relationships will often minimize or deny the abuse, or blame themselves.
“It’s part of the cycle of violence ... they are made to believe they are culpable as well,” she said.

Uncle accused in niece's slaying
A Winnipeg father is struggling to understand not only why his daughter was stabbed to death, but how the man accused of killing her could be a relative he helped enter Canada from the Philippines to live a better life.
After Mario Ronquillo Valdez was charged in Tuesday’s slaying of Catherine Gastador, 23, at her Wolseley condominium, the victim’s father, Eduardo Gastador, suggested that the questions are nearly as much of a burden as the tragedy itself.
He said the 36-year-old Valdez — a brother of his wife Charito Gastador, and Catherine’s uncle through adoption — might not have come to Canada in the early 1980s if it hadn’t been for his sponsorship in the immigration process.
“That’s on my mind too. “Why did he do that to us, to my daughter? Because we — me and my wife — are the ones who sponsored them to come to Canada,” Eduardo Gastador said of the help they had given to Valdez and a couple of his family members.
“And then they stayed at our house, in this house,” he said on his doorstep in Tyndall Park. “Mario was only six years old.”
The early assistance to the newcomers, he said, also included help with moving and finding furniture.
A three-year protection order was granted to Catherine Gastador in February 2007 to keep Valdez away from her. Though police announced Friday that they had arrested a suspect in her slaying, they didn’t release his name till Saturday.
Valdez is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Catherine Gastador, whom police confirm died of multiple stab wounds and other upper-body injuries.
He remains in custody and is also charged with failing to comply with conditions of a recognizance in an unrelated matter.
Other questions swirling around the Gastador family include why Catherine had applied to have the protection order withdrawn about five months after it was issued — and why Valdez has apparently been living at the same Preston Avenue condo complex as her while allegedly telling some people that they were a couple.

Arrest made in Wolsely woman's killing

Arrest made in Wolsely woman's slaying

The family of a slain Winnipeg woman said Friday they're relieved investigators have made an arrest in the woman's death.

Police said Friday morning they had a man in custody -- but weren't releasing his name -- after Catherine Gastador, 23, was found dead Tuesday in a Preston Avenue condominium block known as the Rothesay.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said the man was arrested Friday morning. The suspect faces a second-degree murder charge, but no formal charge has yet been laid.

Gastador was a legal assistant at Fillmore Riley who had wanted to pursue a law career. Her father, Ed Gastador, said he discovered her body in the bedroom of her condo Tuesday afternoon after she didn't show up for work and her fellow employees became worried.

A knife was found beside Catherine's body.

Ed Castador said investigators came to his home Friday morning to tell him about the arrest, but did not divulge the man's identity.

"I feel glad and relieved," he said.

Slain woman's relative told others they were dating: dad
An arrest in Winnipeg’s latest homicide has brought relief to the victim’s parents — even as a new discovery about their daughter’s relationship with a relative has left them bewildered.
Following the slaying of 23-year-old legal assistant Catherine Gastador days ago at her condominium at the Rothesay complex in Wolseley, city police said Friday they’ve arrested a man who faces a charge of second-degree murder.
Police have said almost nothing else about the case, or the discovery of the victim’s body in her suite on Tuesday.
Eduardo Gastador, the father of the city’s sixth homicide victim of the year, said police contacted him about the arrest Friday morning.
“They didn’t give us the name. But I’m feeling relief,” Gastador said of the suspect, whose age was not made public.
Gastador said he and his wife Charito — who adopted Catherine in the Philippines before moving to Winnipeg — have been comforted and “inspired” by supporters.
“I’m very happy about that. But it’s not enough,” he said of the arrest. “My daughter is gone. It’s too late now.”
Adding to the family’s stress are separate discoveries about a male relative against whom Catherine had been granted a three-year protection order in February 2007. She applied months later to have the order rescinded.
Eduardo Gastador said he learned this week that the relative has been living at the same condo building as Catherine.
“I didn’t know that,” he said. “He was even saying to everyone that Catherine and him were (dating).”

Victim granted a restraining order

Victim granted restraining order -- uncle lived in same building

The man named in a recently expired restraining order Catherine Gastador had obtained because of fears for her personal safety was living in the same apartment block in which her bloodied body was found Tuesday afternoon.

The Free Press has also learned police arrested the man on an unrelated matter the day after her slaying and, even though the Crown fought to keep him behind bars, he was released Thursday.

Gastador, 23, was found stabbed to death Tuesday afternoon inside her suite at 828 Preston Ave. Police haven't announced any arrests.

Court documents obtained Thursday by the Free Press show Gastador went to court in February 2007 and was granted a three-year order against the 33-year-old brother of her adopted mother. The order stated the man could not follow or communicate with her and had to stay more than 100 metres from where she lived.

She cited a series of violent incidents that left her fearing for her safety in a case that was eventually red-flagged by justice officials and referred to a provincial victim's services agency for follow-up investigation.

"I am concerned that he is able to use anything around him as a weapon. Especially if he had been drinking," Gastador wrote in her affidavit to a provincial magistrate. "I truly fear him. He is very violent, he has no respect for any of the family members... and he does not fear anyone. He has emotionally and physically hurt me and I want it to stop."

The granting of a protective order is not proof all allegations made in the affidavit are true, although it does mean the court found she had reasonable grounds to be concerned he was a risk to her safety.

The Free Press has learned the subject of the restraining order -- which expired in February 2010 -- was arrested Wednesday inside the same Wolseley complex where he'd been living with his 13-year-old son.

The now 36-year-old man had been wanted since last October on an outstanding warrant for assault causing bodily harm against a co-worker at a construction job site. Sources say it was only discovered and executed by police as part of the ongoing homicide investigation. The Crown fought to keep the man behind bars Thursday, citing other convictions for weapons and violence, but provincial court Judge Brian Corrin agreed to released him on several bail conditions. There was no mention by either Crown or defence lawyers about Gastador's slaying.

A resident of the building told the Free Press the man had been going around claiming he was in a relationship with Gastador, who is not a blood relative but would usually refer to him as her uncle. The pair were often spotted together. This came as news to Ed and Charito Gastador, who told the Free Press they had no idea the man was living so close to their daughter. They were equally shocked to learn Catherine had actually filed an affidavit in June 2007 in which she seemed to recant all of the earlier statements they helped her put down on paper about being afraid of the man.

"I'm thinking she got brainwashed," Ed Gastador said of his daughter, whom they adopted as a baby in the Philippines and brought to Canada at the age of eight. He said the family has lost touch with the man and haven't spoken to him in ages.

The Free Press obtained copies of both affidavits Catherine Gastador filed. In the original affidavit to obtain the order, Gastador said her uncle began beating her and pulling her hair following an argument that began inside a car after leaving her mother's birthday party. She said he had launched a similar attack weeks earlier while both were working inside the Merchant's Hotel on Selkirk; he as a bartender, she as a waitress. She said her uncle was drunk on the job and shoved her to the ground, choking her, when she asked him to fill a drink order.

Gastador then did a complete reversal with her follow-up affidavit.

"It was a mistake. I was also a bit intoxicated and I've recently learned that I too become a bit violent when I've had a few to drink. I believe that he was just holding me down from making violent moves towards him," she wrote.

She also cited concern the restraining order would prevent her uncle from attending an upcoming family wedding.

"He is my favourite uncle. He is a very giving and generous family member. He has helped each of us individually and because of my mistake, the people he has helped cannot even thank him in person on their wedding day," she wrote. She said her uncle is more "like one of my friends" who has played an important role in her life.

"He still acts young and cool but he also has taught me how to be responsible with a lot of things in my life. And more importantly he has taken time to help me grow up," she said.

A magistrate refused to rescind the original restraining order and instead referred the entire case to the provincial victim's services. It's not clear what, if anything, happened with the case from there. However, it never did return to court and the restraining order remained in place until it expired three months ago. Gastador was studying to advance her career in law and began working at Fillmore Riley this spring as a legal assistant.

A father`s worst nightmare: Finds his daughter`s body

A father`s nightmare: finds daughter`s body

WINNIPEG - Climbing the steps to his daughter's Wolseley condo, Ed Gastador wondered why the petite 23-year-old had missed work and wasn't answering the telephone.

Using a duplicate key to let himself into her suite Tuesday afternoon, he found Catherine's lifeless, bloodied body on her bed, with wounds on her back and a knife lying beside her.

Winnipeg police are investigating Catherine Gastador's death as the city's sixth homicide of 2010.

"We're in shock," said Ed Gastador, joined by his wife, Charito, on Wednesday inside their Tyndall Avenue home. "My daughter's gone.

"She was so young, she wanted to pursue more. My daughter was a very ambitious lady."

Homicide investigators were interviewing witnesses Wednesday and no arrests had been made by press time, a police spokesman said.

Neighbours at the condo block at 828 Preston Ave. said they'd seen Catherine walking her fluffy white dog there recently. She'd lived at the brick heritage building known as the Rothesay for about three years, and one resident said they regularly saw her with another man who who lived in the block.

Ed Gastador said his daughter was studying to advance her career and she was "ambitious" in her pursuits, especially about a career in law.

"She was so happy, especially when she was with her friends," he said.

However, her life wasn't without turmoil. Court records show Catherine had filed a protection order in February 2007 against a Winnipeg man believed to be in his 30s. The order was to have expired in February 2010, however, Catherine applied in the summer of 2007 to have the protection order varied or set aside.

The order stated the man could not follow, contact or communicate with her, and had to stay more than 100 metres from where she lived.

Ed Gastador said the protection order was filed because his daughter told him she was "scared" of a man who is related to her through her mother.

Police said Wednesday the cause of death had not been confirmed and autopsy results are pending.

After losing a job at another law firm last fall, Catherine began working at Fillmore Riley this spring as a legal assistant.

Ed Gastador said he expressed concerns about her being alone in her condo and the demands of school and work.

"I was complaining about (her being) too busy," he said. "And she answered me, 'Dad, I am still young.'"

Charlotte Jorek, a resident of the Rothesay, said Catherine was ecstatic because of her new job.

"She was so happy," she said. "It's really, really sad. I just thought she was a very nice girl."

A staff member at Fillmore Riley had called the Gastadors to say their daughter hadn't arrived for work. Ed said after calling his daughter repeatedly, he became worried she might have fallen ill and went to check on her.

"I didn't expect anything wrong," he said.

After opening the door and calling out for his daughter, he found her lying face down. Panicking, he tried to revive her, rolling her over. There was blood beside her mouth.

"I didn't know she was already dead," said Ed Gastador, adding the couple is devastated they will never see their child again.

Wolsely woman stabbed, says father

WINNIPEG - The father of a slain Winnipeg woman said his daughter wanted to live alone and further her academic studies while she worked.

Police found the body of 23-year-old Catherine Gastador in a suite at 828 Preston Avenue just after 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Her father, Ed Gastador, said Wednesday she died from a stab wound to the back. 

Gastador said he last saw his daughter at a family party in March. He described her as a "very ambitious lady."

Catherine Gastador reportedly lived on the fourth floor of the condominium building, which is known as the Rothesay.  Her father said she lived alone.  

Neighbours said Gastador had lived in the building for about three years and was often seen walking a small, white dog.  She was also frequently seen with a male friend in the building, a neighbour said.

Gastador's profile on the social-networking site Facebook indicates a local law firm was her employer, although a post from a friend in mid-March congratulated her on her new job.  A company spokesperson for Fillmore Riley, a local law firm, said Gastador worked there.

A lone police cruiser was parked outside the property Wednesday morning. Police said they are interviewing a number of witnesses in connection with the case.

No arrests have been announced by police. The homicide unit is investigating.

Woman jailed for stabbing ex.

Woman jailed for stabbing ex

Sit all three parties in a love triangle on a couch, add alcohol, and it’s not going to end pretty, a judge heard Monday.

Lorie Bearbull, 33, stabbed her former boyfriend at least two times in the stomach following an alcohol-fuelled argument between the victim and her current beau on Aug. 12, 2008.

“The facts of this case are highly unusual,” said defence lawyer Lori VanDongen. “Adding alcohol is like adding the spark to a keg of gunpowder. Eventually something is going to happen, and eventually something did.”

The victim was taken to hospital in critical condition suffering a perforated bowel.

Court heard Bearbull told police the victim had previously been stalking her.

Judge Lee Anne Martin sentenced Bearbull to 18 months in jail to be followed by three years supervised probation.

Bearbull received double credit of 13 months for time served, reducing her remaining sentence to five months.

This article is beyond vague. It does not mention what she was charged with, the defence's arguments or any mitigating factors. Therefore, I cannot make an informed decision. 

Several injured and four stabbed in bar brawl

Several injured, four stabbed in 20 person brawl

Several people were injured during a brawl, including four who were stabbed in the upper body, late Monday night, said Winnipeg police.

The fight, which involved at least 20 people outside a downtown Winnipeg bar, sent the four stabbing victims to hospital in stable condition, said police.

Witnesses said they saw a large group of men trading threats, punches and kicks during the wild melee near Kennedy Street and Ellice Avenue.

The group scattered shortly before police arrived but at least one injured man who was left behind was loaded on to a stretcher by paramedics and taken to hospital by ambulance, witnesses said.

The fight occurred when people spilled out of the Lo Pub inside a Hostelling International (HI) hostel, known as the HI Downtowner.

About 80 people were attending a performance by a Vancouver hip hop group, said pub manager Jack Jonasson.

Jonasson said he and a promoter were outside speaking to a man who was upset about something when 15 to 20 people exited and the fight began.

“He was upset because there was another guy at the bar who was a friend of his and there was a conflict,” Jonasson said. “From what I understand the conflict was based on an incident that happened (previously).”

Jonasson said the upset man didn’t explain the incident to him. That man was involved in the fight.

Jonasson said he ran inside and got the front desk clerk to call 911 while the fight moved off site.

Alice, a witness, said people were yelling threats as the violence erupted.

About 50 people were outside, including the people who were brawling, she said.

She said one man was knocked to the ground and swarmed by about three or four people, who repeatedly kicked him about the body.

“It was intense. It was insanely loud,” Alice said. “It was pretty freaky. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

Before this, the hostel and pub had a spotless record in its two-plus years in business.

“This is the first thing that’s happened here, any sort of violence in the bar,” Jonasson said. “It’s not something I thought I would see here.”

There was no sign of trouble inside the pub before the fight, Jonasson said.

The brawl occurred during a promotion called Mass Appeal Mondays, a night dedicated to hip hop music.

Jonasson said the performance didn’t draw the usual Monday night crowd.

This crowd came out specifically for the musical act, he said.

“We didn’t recognize anybody,” he said. “On any given night I know 80% of the people coming in.”

The hostel, formerly a seedy hotel, and bar have gone to great lengths to change the building’s reputation and clientele and give it a safe, community atmosphere, Jonasson said.

“We’re very proud of the fact that this is a place where people can come and feel comfortable,” he said.

For now, the pub isn’t holding Mass Appeal Mondays, Jonasson said.

He said the venue will review the incident to determine what, if any, steps can be taken to avoid a similar incident.

No arrests have been made.

Four hurt in brawl of 20 fighters

WINNIPEG — Four men were taken to hospital in stable condition after a brawl outside a popular downtown pub last night.
Winnipeg police said they received a fight call at 11 p.m. Monday at Ellice Avenue and Kennedy Street, outside the Lo Pub. Police said this morning about 20 people were involved in the melee.

The Free Press is looking for further information on the overnight brawl at Ellice Avenue and Kennedy Street.  Please email city.desk@freepress.mb.ca or phone 697-7292

Four men aged 21 and 22 suffered stab wounds and were taken to hospital with laceration injuries. No one was taken into custody. Police said the investigation is continuing.
Jack Jonasson, the Lo Pub’s owner, said about 70 people went to Lo Pub to watch a Vancouver group perform there. Many were friends and family of the performers, he said.
Jonasson said the fight broke out slightly off the Lo Pub property after one man who was outside with a handful of friends began facing off with another group of people. The crowd slowly edged off to a few metres south-east of the pub’s main entrance, near a sculpture.
He said about 15 people began involved kicking and punching each other until police showed up about five to ten minutes later. He said he saw one person taken into custody, but did not see any weapons.
Jonasson said the pub's weekly Monday hip-hop night will now be cancelled. The event kicked off about four months ago, he said.
He said the bar has held hundreds of events without problems.
"It’s unfortunate that this happened," he said.

Bar manager cancels hip hop nights after stabbings outside club
A Kennedy Street bar manager said he's cancelling hip-hop music nights after several people were stabbed near the downtown establishment early Monday morning.
The brawl involved an estimated 20 to 25 people, a witness said.
Four men went to hospital with stab wounds, although all were listed in stable condition.
Jack Jonasson, the Lo Pub's manager, said the fight broke out outside the club after a crowd of about seven to nine men began kicking and punching another 10 to 15 men who exited the club.
The Lo Pub is located inside the Hostelling International Winnipeg Downtowner, at the corner of Kennedy and Ellice Avenue. For about five minutes, the men clashed in a small park area beyond the southeast corner of the hostel's property on Webb Place.
"We're going to take a look at the situation and try to figure out what we can do to make sure it never happens again."
Jonasson said that might mean getting more security. On Monday night, five staff were working.
He said the crowd of about 70 people who came to see a Vancouver-based group called the Boombox Saints were "far removed" from the bar's usual clientele.
As the band set up to play its show inside around midnight, he said he heard about an upset man outside the bar.
Jonasson said he went outside and tried to calm the yelling man. "I couldn't make out what it was that he was upset about," he said.
Within two minutes, he said a larger group exited the bar and the fight began between two groups before some participants fled the scene.
A local club website advertised an event called Mass Appeal Monday, which featured a string of hip-hop acts for a $7 entrance fee, including the Boombox Saints.
Lexani Llaguno, the group's Vancouver-based manager, said none of the Boombox Saints members was involved in the fight or injured. Jonasson said the event is a blow to the local hip-hop scene he's tried to build with weekly events over the last four months.

Deliberations underway in 1984 murder case of Beverley Dyke

Deliberations underway in 1984 murder case 

A jury began deliberations Friday afternoon in the trial of a man accused of the 1984 rape and killing of a Winnipeg woman.

Robert Kociuk, 68, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder of Beverley Ann Dyke. An autopsy revealed Dyke, 48, was sexually assaulted and stabbed 13 times. Her partially nude body was found in a wooded area near the city's airport.

Kociuk faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 25 years if convicted of the most serious charge in the Criminal Code.

The case against Kociuk is complicated by the fact someone else previously admitted to the slaying. Leonard White -- who was himself killed in 1999 -- made the admission during a 1988 interview at a penitentiary in Prince Albert, Sask. He had been serving an 8 year prison term for aggravated assault. He claimed that he felt guilt over what he had done and even attempted suicide. Defence claims that he knew information about the murder, that was not contained within the media reports.

Kociuk’s lawyers argued this week White had a lengthy history of violence against women and even attempted suicide on the day Dyke’s body was found.

"Leonard White killed her," said lawyer Roberta Campbell in her closing statement this week. "He was a violent, dangerous, explosive psychopath."

However, police and justice officials have always discounted White’s claim, saying they believe he falsely confessed in an attempt to stay in prison with his gay lover. Police testified last week White had a history of making bogus confessions and only knew facts about Dyke's case that had already been revealed publicly through the media.

White claimed another man ,named "Ricky Morris," raped Dyke, but police said exhaustive police efforts could find no evidence such a person even existed.

Kociuk was initially interviewed as a potential suspect because he was seen by police in the area where the killing occurred on the day before Dyke's body was found by a jogger. 

Kociuk had been under police surveillance for armed robbery and claimed he was meeting someone to buy a gun for his next heist.

"Wrong guy. I do hold-ups. You guys know. I don't do murder," he told investigators at the time. The robbery took place the next day. He was also seen searching the area where the body and knife were found days later by police. He claimed that he was picking up trash but when was told about the homicide investigation, changed his story and said that he was waiting for a man to deliver a gun to him for his next robbery and was looking for pop cans. He said that the other man chose this spot and claimed he knew nothing about a murder.

Although they had the semen sample from Dyke's body, DNA testing didn't exist at the time and it would take more than two decades until they could link the sample to Kociuk.

Kociuk continued to deny ever meeting Dyke, even after he was arrested in 2005 and confronted with the new forensic evidence. Police told him the chances of a mistake were one in 680 billion.

"That's impossible. It's not mine. It can't be mine," a Kociuk told homicide detectives in a videotaped interview played for the jury.

"I think you guys got your wires crossed here. I don't know this lady," he said.

Kociuk's lawyers are now conceding the DNA found on Dyke is a match to their client through consensual sex but offered up no further explanation. Kociuk never took the witness stand to tell jurors about the major contradictions in his evidence.

Here are the previous media releases and stories about this trial: 
1984 murder case finally in court (Sept.14, 2007)

Cold Case: DNA test puts man on trial for '84 slaying (Feb.19, 2010) 

Jailhouse lover reason for confession: ex-cop (Feb.20, 2010) 

Questioned confession focus of murder trial (Feb.23, 2010) 

Accused couldn't believe DNA linked him to 1984 killing (Feb.26, 2010) 

Saw victim after officials say she was slain: witness (March 2, 2010) 

Jurors shown horrific photo of slain woman (March 4, 2010) 

Woman's real killer bragged: Defence 

Sex evidence cited 

"I'm robber not rapist" 

DNA links man sexually to 1984 murder victim 

Accused killer denies rape allegations 

Accused rapist, murderer caught robbing bank 

Confession contrived 

Witnesses contradict murder timeline 

Jury hears closing arguments in 25 year old murder case

This is a complicating case because of the many contradictions. I have a doubt that Robert Kociuk committed this murder because he was under constant surveillance by police and lived in a halfway house, so where did he have the opportunity to commit murder? All of his previous crimes had only been bank robberies and like he said, he doesn't do murders. I believe that he had sex with Dyke at some point, but did not kill her, because their is very limited evidence that ties him to the murder. I believe he should not be convicted of first degree murder or sexual assault, because their is really no evidence that suggests for a certainty, that he sexually assaulted (without consent) and killed this woman. 

Closing arguments in Robert Kociuk murder trial, dating back to 1984

Jurors shown horrific photo of slain woman
Jury hears closing arguments in 25 year old murder case
Closing arguments made in murder case dating back 26 years 

- The murder was 26 years ago, but Crown prosecutor Brian Wilford urged the jurors to convict the now frail, elderly man sitting across from them for Beverley Ann Dyke's death.

- Lawyers gave closing arguments yesterday in the first degree murder trial against 68 year old, Robert Kociuk. 

- Robert Kociuk, 68, stands accused of killing 48-year-old Beverley Dyke, whose body was discovered May 17, 1984, in a wooded area near what is now Murray Industrial Park, just southwest of the airport.

- She was stabbed 13 times and sexually assaulted, her body left half naked in the wooded bush. 

- Part of the jury's decision will depend on whether they believe another dead man is responsible for the 1984 stabbing death of Dyke. Defence lawyers argued the jury cannot find Kociuk guilty due to a confession made by Leonard White, who died in 1999. While in jail at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in 1988, White confessed to stabbing the divorced 48-year-old woman, who police believe disappeared while she was out walking near her Wolseley-area home.

- He made a full confession but police said that since he had falsely confessed to many murders just before his parole eligibility came up and was considered an habitual liar, they did not believe his claim. 

- White had grappled with psychological issues and self-mutilation, and stabbed another Wolseley woman in the throat, which was the reason he was in prison after being convicted of aggravated assault. 

- He attempted suicide around the same time Dyke's body was found. Defence lawyers say he did so, because he felt guilty over what he had done. 

- "Leonard White killed her," said lawyer Roberta Campbell, who represents Kociuk. "He was a violent, dangerous, explosive psychopath."

- Police said White's confessions contained no information that wasn't contained in news reports and they thought the confession was bogus. White was interviewed by police again 10 years later. "He knew nothing and said nothing only the killer would know," Wilford said.

- But Defence lawyers say that he did know certain details of the murder that only the killer would know, such as the fact that she was found partially clothed from the waist down, held up her hands to defend herself and he could describe the exact location where her body was found. 

- The trial has been hearing testimony for the past 2 weeks. The Judge will give his Charge to the Jury this morning, with deliberations to follow, starting in the afternoon. 

- Police arrested Kociuk in 2005 and charged him with murder after he was forced to submit a DNA sample following robbery convictions in Hamilton, Ont.

- Kociuk was arrested for a bank robbery the day Dyke’s body was discovered. He was serving time at Millhaven Penitentiary in Ontario for a different robbery when he was charged with Dyke’s murder in 2005 after Winnipeg police matched a semen sample taken from Dyke’s body with Kociuk’s DNA.

- The tests showed his semen matched a sample taken from Dyke's body, which was found in a wooded area near the Winnipeg airport. Kociuk told Winnipeg police repeatedly he did not know Dyke, including in an interview only days after the killing. During the trial, his lawyers conceded Kociuk had sex with Dyke.

- Although they are unsure as to when he had sex with her and whether it was consensual or not, therefore, raising a doubt as to whether she was sexually assaulted and ultimately murdered by Kociuk. 

- Kociuk was seen searching near where a bloody knife was later found, the day before Dyke's body was found, but he told investigators he was looking for trash and waiting to make a deal for a gun to be used in a bank robbery.

- The bank robbery took place the next day.

- "Mr. Kociuk is a bank robber, not a murderer,” said defence lawyer Roberta Campbell, referring to her client’s criminal past.

- Defence lawyer Roberta Campbell asked jurors to acquit Kociuk, arguing another ex-con named Leonard White — who confessed to the crime in 1988 while serving an assault sentence in Saskatchewan — was the real killer.

- White, who died in 1999, slashed his wrists in a failed suicide attempt hours before Dyke’s body was found in 1984. Campbell argued he knew details of the crime only the killer would know when he confessed to it four years later.

- Police rejected White’s confession at the time because they didn’t believe it was credible.

- “Mr. Kociuk had sex with (Dyke) at one time, Leonard White killed her,” Campbell said. “He killed her and the police are wrong. The police make mistakes now and they made them in the ’80s.”

- Crown prosecutor Brian Wilford told jurors White was a habitual liar who fabricated the confession because he wanted to remain in prison with his cellmate Ken Kirton, who was also his lover.

- The Crown and defence presented different views to jurors Wednesday on other issues as well, including the time and date of Dyke’s death, whether a knife found several hundred yards from the scene was the murder weapon, and why Kociuk gave police different reasons for having been seen near the scene within days — or possibly even hours — of Dyke’s death.

- Kociuk, now a grey-haired senior who walks with a cane, sat silently in the prisoner’s box all day, rarely changing his stoic expression as he listened to the arguments. He did not testify during the trial.

Witnesses in Kociuk trial contradict murder timeline

Witnesses contradict murder timeline
Saw victim after officials say she was slain: witness

- A neighbour saw Beverley Dyke sitting outside her house a day after Crown prosecutors say she was killed nearly 26 years ago, a jury was told Monday.

- Greg Kalen testified he was fixing his bicycle outside his Fawcett Avenue apartment building when he saw Dyke, 48, sitting on the curb in front of her house. He is positive that she was alive and well on the afternoon of May 16, 1984.

- Kalen, who had to refer to his 26-year-old police statement to refresh his memory, said he was struck by Dyke’s “odd behaviour.”

- “She was just sitting there for an hour ... going back and forth to the front doorstep of her house,” Kalen said.

- Crown pressed Kalen to concede he might have been mistaken about the date he saw Dyke.

- “If I said it, I believe it to be true,” Kalen said.
- The Crown has previously stated their theory that Dyke, 48, was attacked on May 15, then discovered in a wooded area near the Winnipeg airport May 17.
- "I have absolutely no reason to lie," Kalen said when pressed by prosecutor Brian Wilford about the accuracy of his evidence. Kalen disputed suggestions he might be mistaken about the date, saying he vividly recalls seeing Dyke that day.
- "She was going back and forth from her front door to the curb. Because of her odd behaviour I looked out my apartment window a few times," he said.

- Another defence witness, entomologist Gail Anderson, also cast doubt on the Crown’s theory of when Dyke was killed. Anderson said the presence of certain insects in Dyke’s body suggested she was killed sometime between the afternoon of May 16 and the early morning of May 17.

- The defence alleges Dyke’s real killer was a man named Leonard White, a woman-hating convict who confessed to the murder in 1988. White died in 1999.

- Jurors were told Monday that White was hospitalized on May 17, 1984 after slashing his wrists. According to an agreed statement of facts, White provided hospital staff with no “intelligible” reason for the suicide attempt.

- Robert Kociuk, 68, is on trial accused of raping and stabbing Beverley Dyke to death on May 15, 1984 and leaving her half-naked body in a wooded area near the Richardson International Airport after his DNA was matched to the semen found on Dyke's body. He was arrested in 2005 and has now pleaded not guilty to first degree murder.
- Kociuk denied in a videotaped police interview having any contact with Dyke, but his lawyers have now conceded a DNA match. No further explanation or evidence has been given to jurors about that issue and Kociuk was not called to testify in his own defence.
- Kociuk was initially interviewed as a potential suspect because police saw him in the area where the killing occurred the afternoon of May 16 -- the day Kalen insists he saw Dyke alive. Kociuk had been under police surveillance for armed robbery and claimed he was meeting someone to buy a gun for his next heist. Police found a knife in that area that they believe was linked to the stabbing, but investigators soon lost the weapon, which has never been recovered.

- The Crown and defence have now closed their cases. Closing arguments are set to be heard Wednesday.
- Jurors should start their deliberations on Thursday after the Judge gives her charge to the jury. 

Calgary man found Not Criminally Responsible

Insanity defence prevails in stabbing case 

- Calgary man Ian Wylie age 21 was declared legally insane on the unprovoked attack on his sister and her boyfriend. 

- He was found not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder. 

- He committed aggravated assaults on Oct.19 of his 18 year old sister and her 21 year old boyfriend.

- He admitted attacking them when they were watching TV with two knives.

- Psychiatrist concluded he suffered from paranoid shizophrenia at the time of the stabbing

- Wylie told the doctor that the boyfriend had made pancakes for the three of them “and believed that the pancakes may have been poisoned with something.”

- “He also reported that he has heard the radio speaking to him in the voice of Tristan (the boyfriend),” she said in her report, made a court exhibit.

- He stabbed the boyfriend in the face and then started stabbing his sister

- His sister was stabbed 13 times and suffered life threatening injuries which required surgery

- The boyfriend was stabbed once in the face resulting in a long laceration. 

- Wylie will be sent to a mental hospital in Edmonton when a bed becomes available and will have another assessment of his condition. 

If this man indeed suffers from schizophrenia, then I completely agree with this NCR finding. This man did not understand or appreciate the  nature of his actions and did not know right from wrong, and therefore, if his actions were not voluntary he cannot be held to blame. He will be in the mental hospital until it is deemed safe for him to be released, and a review will take place every year on his condition.