The first-degree murder trial for a man charged with fatally stabbing a woman to death as she walked to work in downtown Calgary is scheduled to begin Monday in Court of Kings Bench.
The accused, Micheal John Adenyi, will be tried before a jury.
Vanessa Ladouceur was killed on March 18, 2022, in the 100 block of 10 Avenue S.E. She was 31.
Police were initially called to reports of an assault around 7 a.m. on that day. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered an unconscious woman, who was later identified as Ladouceur.
Police said she worked as a personal trainer in a downtown office building and was no more than 50 steps from safety when she was brutally attacked by a man she didn’t know.
Ladouceur died on scene, despite the efforts of first responders to save her.
Michael John Adenyi has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of 31-year-old Vanessa Ladouceur on March 18, 2022.
Credit: @michaeladenyi
Adenyi, then 26, was arrested a short time later and charged with first-degree murder.
Police at the time described the killing as a random, senseless, cowardly act of violence. Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson also called it “a deliberate act of violence” that resulted in the first-degree murder charge.
Ladouceur’s death became a catalyst for calls on the city to do more to improve downtown safety and combat public disorder.
Vanessa Ladouceur was stabbed to death while she was walking to work in downtown Calgary around 8 a.m. on March 18, 2022. She was 31.
Courtesy: Lainey Bennett
