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BANFF – Legal defence for a man charged with killing a Banff resident at a nightclub in 2022 argues the key issue for a court jury to consider is the accused’s state of mind at the time of the incident.
John-Christopher Arrizza, 23, is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Ethan Enns-Goneau, 26. His criminal trial began last week in Calgary Court of King’s Bench.
Enns-Goneau was killed outside the Dancing Sasquatch washroom in the early morning hours of Aug. 5, 2022. CCTV footage played in court shows Arrizza stabbing Enns-Goneau three times – twice to the chest and once to the abdomen, after being forcefully pushed outside the nightclub washroom and into a basement hallway with his back turned and pants down.
That evening, Arrizza told police he was attacked inside the washroom, that he was “scared” and thought Enns-Goneau was going to “overpower” him.
“So, I pulled out a weapon that I never had intention of using,” he said to RCMP Cpl. Sheldon Silveira in a video recorded from the back of a police cruiser that evening.
“I pulled the knife, which maybe I shouldn’t have, but I definitely got scared when someone started grabbing me and pushing me against the wall in the bathroom and I’m there alone.”
Medical examiner Lucy Bradley, who was tasked with conducting an autopsy on Enns-Goneau’s body, told the court late last week of additional stab wounds and injuries that were not recorded on CCTV and thus would have occurred inside the washroom, including sharp injuries to Enns-Goneau's hands “consistent with somebody holding their hands in front of them trying to defend themselves.”
Aside from a gash on his hand, no other recent injuries were recorded on Arrizza that evening.
Multiple bar staff who testified in court noted Arrizza had been looking for his wallet at the nightclub before the attack. Afterward, he continued to ask police about his wallet and also asked about the whereabouts of his cell phone.
Prior to being apprehended outside the nightclub washroom and told he was under arrest for assault with a weapon, Silveira told the court the accused said aloud to police, “I f–––d him up” more than once and that “I did it.”
When being escorted to the officer’s police cruiser from the nightclub, Silveira described Arrizza to be stumbling and noted his speech, while in custody that evening, was difficult to understand at times.
Silveira said, in his experience, when people are “under the influence of intoxicating substances, they tend to minimize or not understand the gravity of a situation.”
“I think that was evident in this situation. It was obviously a dire situation and the primary focus for the accused, up until this point, was his wallet and his cell phone.”
In video taken from the back of the police cruiser, Arrizza later asked the officer if Enns-Goneau was still alive. Silveira replied he was unsure but that he was “not doing well” and “not breathing.”
Arrizza can be heard telling the officer voluntarily that he “feels bad, but not really.”
He proceeded to ask Silveira how many times he “hit” Enns-Goneau, to which the officer said he was not sure.
Upon reaching the Banff RCMP detachment shortly after 2 a.m. – approximately 30 minutes after the attack on Enns-Goneau – Silveira is informed via radio by other officers who attended the scene that Enns-Goneau died of his injuries and tells Arrizza the grounds for his arrest have been changed to murder.
Arrizza pleaded not guilty to his charges, though, he has admitted to killing Enns-Goneau. Katherin Beyak is leading defence counsel in the trial, which continues Tuesday (Sept. 17).
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.