Man pleads guilty in deadly stabbing of Calgary caseworker

CALGARY – A man has pleaded guilty in the murder of a Calgary group home caseworker.

BREAKING: Brandon Newman has pleaded guilty in the death of group home case worker Deborah Onwu, who was stabbed to death in October of 2019. He had been charged with second degree murder. #yyc

— Tom Ross (@Tommy_Slick) September 17, 2021

Officers were called to an assisted-living residence in southwest Calgary at about 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 25, 2019.

Emergency crews provided first aid but 47-year-old Deborah Onwu died of her injuries.

Brandon Newman, who was 18 at the time, was arrested a short time after. He was sent for a psychiatric evaluation in November of that year to determine his fitness for trial due to developmental difficulties.

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His 30-day evaluation was extended by three weeks later that year but a judge ultimately found him fit to stand trial.

But on Friday morning, clothed in a blue jumpsuit and wearing a blue mask, Newman rose to plead guilty to second degree murder, therefore avoiding a trial that was due to start on the two-year anniversary of Onwu’s death.

Onwu was working with at-risk youth at a facility owned by Wood’s Homes at the time of her death, and Newman was a client at the home who had only moved in a short time before the murder.

According to an agreed statement of facts read during the hearing, Newman arrived back at the home shortly after 2 a.m. on Oct. 25. Onwu had started her shift at 11 p.m., and was in the home with another social worker and a client who lived on the bottom floor of the home.

The other worker reported hearing some noises coming from the other room, indicating that Newman had arrived, and Onwu went over to check while her colleague remained with the other client.

Only about thirty minutes after Newman arrived, there was a commotion coming from the room and the other social worker said they heard Onwu cry out “why are you doing this to me?”

Onwu then staggered towards the front door, exclaiming that “the boy stabbed me.” Onwu then went outside and collapsed on the front steps of the home, where she died.

Onwu had been stabbed 19 times.

Newman fled the scene before police arrived, and threw the knife in a bush a couple of doors down. He then flagged down a taxi driver parked at a convenience store, and asked for a free ride to the Drop-In Centre, claiming he was homeless and needed warm shelter for the evening.

Police then located Newman under the 5 Ave. flyover next to the Drop-In Centre at about 5 a.m., still wearing clothes soaked in Onwu’s blood.

During the arraignment, the judge asked Newman if he was aware what he was admitting to and if he understood the potential consequences before ultimately accepting the plea. Newman also told the court he did not intend to kill Onwu.

‘WE DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS HAPPEN AGAIN’

Onwu’s death sparked an outpouring of sadness and also frustration.

Friends and coworkers of the Nigerian immigrant said she should not have been left alone with Newman due to his known violent past, and more protections are needed for social workers in this difficult line of work.

“She wouldn’t want anybody in this field to suffer the way she suffered,” said Rebecca Opoku, a friend of Onwu’s.

Opoku said the plea came as a surprise, as she was preparing to attend pre-trial hearings on Monday, but she is also relieved. That said, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

“I know that what we started fighting for, which is the justice, is what we are still seeking and we hope that is what is going to be granted,” she said. “At least we are also somehow relieved that we have come this far.”

Opoku said Onwu loved her work and was devoted, even pulling multiple shifts in a row to cover for coworkers to ensure that people got the care they needed. Despite the work Onwu did, Opoku is worried that people like her friend do not get the praise they deserve.

“We don’t feel recognized enough, and this is the time for us to want to advocate for that, to speak up more, to be recognized more, and to be treated a little more respectfully than we are being treated right now.

“We don’t want to see this happen again. So we are pleading with the government officials and anybody who is responsible and capable to make sure that moving forward, we don’t ever have to show up at work and worry whether we will be able to return home or not.”

A sentencing hearing has not yet been set, but is likely to happen in early October. Victim impact statements will also be heard at that time.

-with files from the Canadian Press