Jamaican who stabbed Albertan 50 times and hid his body gets 11-year sentence for manslaughter
A Jamaican permanent resident who stabbed an Alberta man 50 times in a “lengthy and brutal” attack in April 2022, put the victim into the trunk of his own car, then drove it deep into a wooded area before abandoning it, leaving the area on foot and hiding his clothes in a swamp has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Mounties arrested Stavon Maurice Allen on May 1, 2022, and charged him with first-degree murder in Ralph Calder’s death. Allen, 42, pled guilty to a single count of manslaughter on the first day of trial in Alberta’s Court of King’s Bench.
“The length of time it must have taken to stab Mr. Calder 50 times speaks to the brutality of the attack,” Justice Lorena Harris wrote in a recent decision out of Edmonton.
“Mr. Allen then took multiple steps in an attempt to conceal his actions.” The dead man’s vehicle and remains were found by a police helicopter.
If Allen had been convicted of first-degree murder, he would have received a sentence of life in prison without chance of parole for 25 years.
We will “never know” what Calder experienced, said the judge. “But I can only imagine that his final moments were horrific and terrifying.”
She added that Calder “was loved and was a much-valued family member. He very clearly contributed to his family in a positive way and is missed deeply.”
Allen was born in Jamaica. His father emigrated to Canada when he was young, and Allen followed him here when he was 15.
“Crown acknowledges that Mr. Allen faces a risk of deportation upon the conclusion of his sentence but says that this is a collateral consequence that should not reduce an otherwise appropriate sentence,” Harris said in her Jan. 19 decision.
“Defence did not strenuously argue that Mr. Allen’s lack of Canadian citizenship was something that I should consider.”
The judge said she didn’t have any evidence “of the likely impact a sentence for manslaughter might have upon Mr. Allen’s immigration status. Any conclusion that I might make in that regard would be purely speculative. In my view I should not exercise my discretion to consider Mr. Allen’s immigration status as impacting a fit and appropriate sentence in this case.”
The Crown argued that the appropriate sentence is 12-14 years in prison. Allen’s defence lawyer recommended the killing warranted five to seven years in custody.
“If it were not for the guilty plea and acknowledgement of responsibility and remorse, I would have concluded that this case warranted a sentence at the high end of the range, or 12 years,” said the judge.
“The death of Mr. Calder after being stabbed by Mr. Allen around 50 times is shocking and most serious, and this cannot be emphasized enough.”
The court heard that Allen “and a companion, Jenna Blanchette, checked into a Motel 6 and consumed illicit drugs, including methamphetamine” early in the morning of April 26, 2022.
“Later that morning, Mr. Calder received a message from Ms. Blanchette’s phone asking Mr. Calder to give Ms. Blanchette a ride home,” said the decision.
“Mr. Calder was a recent acquaintance of Ms. Blanchette, but Mr. Allen had never met Mr. Calder prior to that day.”
Calder arrived at the motel around 9:25 a.m.
“At approximately 9:54 a.m., all three individuals left the motel in Mr. Calder’s vehicle. Mr. Calder was driving. At some point after they left the motel, Mr. Allen stabbed Mr. Calder while Mr. Calder was in the driver’s seat, causing Mr. Calder’s death. Mr. Calder suffered approximately 50 stab wounds to his head, neck, chest, side, leg and hands,” said the decision.
After dumping his car and body in the woods, south of Stony Plain near the North Saskatchewan River, Allen and Blanchette called a taxi to a nearby road, which drove them into Spruce Grove.
“They initially asked to go to the hospital, but changed their destination to a pharmacy and then an A&W,” said the decision.
Two days after the killing, Allen walked into the emergency department at the Westview Health Centre in Stony Plain at 7:25 a.m., “complaining of having consumed methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol, and (that he was) experiencing hallucinations,” said the decision.
“Mr. Allen had consumed more illicit drugs between abandoning Mr. Calder’s vehicle and attending the hospital. The emergency physician formed the impression that Mr. Allen was suffering from drug-induced psychosis but was unsure if it was due to repetitive crystal meth use or whether he had consumed some adulterant. Mr. Allen was discharged after having received Haldol (an antipsychotic medication) and was given information for social supports.”
Allen has a long history of substance abuse.
He “began using marijuana at 14 and began drinking alcohol at 17,” said the decision.
“That eventually evolved into using cocaine and crack cocaine. When Mr. Allen was approximately 26, he met Ms. Blanchette and began an on-again, off-again relationship with her which was marked with domestic violence and significant substance abuse. By all accounts, Mr. Allen’s relationship with Ms. Blanchette was unstable and involved frequent arguments and physical violence. The couple had three children.”
At the time of the killing, Allen was in breach of a court order not to contact Blanchette.
Defence expert Dr. Jamie Keller, a Doctor of Pharmacy, reported that Allen’s “excessive consumption of crystal meth, crack cocaine and alcohol in the days and hours leading up to the subject offence, combined with a history of substance use, likely caused damage to his brain structure and function, and more than likely impacted Mr. Allen’s behavior, including an increased risk to his decision-making and increased risk of cognitive impairment, aggressive and violent behavior,” said the decision.
Allen has been sober since he was arrested in 2022, said the decision.
“The defence points to the senselessness of Mr. Calder’s death, arguing that Mr. Allen clearly suffered from drug-induced psychosis at the time,” and that should reduce his moral culpability.
The judge accepted Keller’s “opinion that the substances being used by Mr. Allen around the time of the subject offence would likely have significant effects upon a person consuming them. In particular, the use of crack cocaine, methamphetamine and alcohol would have likely impacted Mr. Allen’s decision making and would likely have caused increased aggressive and violent behavior to a certain degree,” said the decision. “However, I have concerns with Dr. Keller’s opinion that at the time Mr. Allen stabbed Mr. Calder he was actually suffering from drug-induced psychosis to a degree that it would reduce his moral culpability.”
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