Man stabs roommate for burglary, then finds wallet in his own pocket – Winnipeg Free Press

A Winnipeg man has been convicted of attempted murder after he stabbed his roommate 10 times, mistaking her for stealing his wallet and rent money.

Asham Joseph Cook, 27, will be sentenced at a later date.

“In my view, the only reasonable inference to be drawn from all the evidence in this case is the intent to kill the victim,” Provincial Court Judge Cynthia Devine said in a written decision last month.

“The stabbing was targeted, repeated, deliberate and relentless, motivated by the defendant's fear that his money was gone and that the victim had taken it and now had to pay with his life,” Devine said. “It's amazing the victim survived.”

The court heard Cook and the 18-year-old victim shared a city center apartment on August 15, 2022, when Cook failed to find a purse worth more than $3,000 and accused the victim of stealing it.

When the victim repeatedly refused to admit to stealing the purse, Cook pulled a knife from his pocket and began stabbing him in the upper body and neck.

Security video from the apartment building showed the victim trying to run down a hallway as Cook grabbed her by the shirt and continued to stab her in the back, head and neck.

The assault ended only when the victim reached the apartment manager's door, who let him in and called the police.

Cook later found the wallet in his pants pocket.

Cook arrived at St. Boniface General Hospital and was arrested by police. Cook's clothes were stained with his roommate's blood and he was still carrying the knife he used to attack the victim.

Asked by police if he intended to kill the victim, Cook said, “I was just thinking about my money.”

“That's when I knew I was angry,” he said. “Yes, I snapped. I thought, “Okay, I've had my life in my wallet, now you're going to pay.”

Devin rejected Cook's claims that he wanted his wallet back and did not want to kill the victim. Cook admitted that his first stab struck the victim in the head or neck, which would have been fatal by itself, Devine said.

“He stabbed the victim near multiple arteries in the neck, internal organs and brain,” Devine said. “As the stabbing continued, the accused knew that death was certain.”

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Dean Pritchard
Court reporter

He once said that a journalist is a well-dressed reporter. Dean Pritchard doesn't have a good suit. But he knows a good case law.

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