CALGARY — The prosecution says a Calgary man who fatally attacked and stabbed a woman three years ago says the accused knew exactly what he was doing.
Michael Adenyi, 29, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of fitness instructor Vanessa Ladouceur on a downtown street.
The 30-year-old was walking to work in the early morning of March 18, 2022, when she was attacked and fatally stabbed.
Adenyi has said he was having hallucinations and believed he was attacking a creature when he assaulted the woman.
He said the creatures looked like lions, tigers and bears with mangled faces and that he had to attack or risk being killed.
Adenyi's mother testified during the trial that her son was taking hour-long showers to drown out the voices in his head.
The accused told the court that when he cut himself during the fatal attack, he was shocked back into reality and discovered the demonic creature was a person.
His lawyers are arguing he is not criminally responsible by reason of a medical disorder.
Crown prosecutor Carla MacPhail, in her final argument to the jury, said this killing was too well planned to be the act of a man suffering from mental illness.
"The Crown submits that this was an intentional killing both planned and deliberate. The Crown submits that he decided to kill her and thought about the best way to do it," MacPhail said Thursday.
MacPhail said that armed with a knife, Adenyi followed Ladouceur for nearly two blocks before body checking her into an alcove and stabbing her to death.
She said the victim suffered six stab wounds to her face which fractured her cheek and jawbone and another into her chest before she died of blood loss.
The prosecutor warned the jury not to believe Adenyi's claims that he is not criminally responsible.
"Mr. Adenyi did not tell you the truth when he testified, just like he did not tell the people at SAFPC (Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre) ... about what was in his head when he attacked Vanessa Ladouceur," MacPhail said.
"Repeating the same lie over and over again does not make it true."
Adenyi's lawyer said there's no doubt his client was responsible for Ladouceur's death.
"We're not here for a moment trying to tell you Mr. Michael Adenyi did not cause the death of Vanessa Ladouceur," said his lawyer Kim Ross.
"It is our respectful submission to you ladies and gentlemen of the jury that Mr. Michael Adenyi is not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder."
Ross said his client has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been prescribed anti-psychotic drugs. He said the case has been difficult for the jury, family members and lawyers to come to terms with.
"This trial has been in my respectful submission emotional and gut wrenching. For many of you it's probably the first glimpse into the criminal justice system."
Ross urged the jury to not leave their "common sense" behind when they deliberate his client's fate.
"At the end of the day you will have no trouble finding on the balance of probabilities that Michael Adenyi is not criminally responsible by way of a mental disorder."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
