Three plead guilty after Alberta woman kidnapped, repeatedly stabbed, left in ditch
Three people have pleaded guilty to kidnapping a woman left clinging to life in a ditch. Shayla Rattlesnake, Venessia Cardinal and Jason Bruno have pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to kidnap a woman, 39, from a home on Alexander First Nation, Alberta, where she was visiting friends. The three admitted to their roles in the kidnapping, each pleading guilty to aggravated assault and kidnapping, while Bruno admitted a lesser charge of unlawful confinement. The alleged kidnapping began on March 20, 2021. The woman was repeatedly stabbed and left in a ditch, but managed to escape and find help at the University of Alberta Hospital. All three accused are currently in custody. The case is set to be heard in court Friday.
Diterbitkan : 2 tahun lalu oleh Jonny Wakefield di dalam General
Three plead guilty after Alberta woman kidnapped, repeatedly stabbed, left in ditch They admitted to participating in a scheme to kidnap a woman, 39, from a home on Alexander First Nation, where she was visiting friends. Get the latest from Jonny Wakefield straight to your inbox
Shayla Rattlesnake, Venessia Cardinal and Jason Bruno were in Edmonton Court of King’s Bench Monday to enter pleas for their role in the attack, which began on Alexander First Nation on March 20, 2021. Rattlesnake and Cardinal each pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and kidnapping while Bruno admitted a lesser charge of unlawful confinement. All three accused are in custody and sat on opposite ends of the courtroom. The three admitted to participating in a scheme to kidnap a woman, 39, from a home on Alexander First Nation, where she was visiting friends. According to an agreed statement of facts, Bruno told the woman a friend was waiting to meet her just outside the nation’s security gate. The woman agreed to accompany Bruno and followed him to a vehicle driven by another person, who gave them a ride to the gate.
In reality, Bruno was guiding the woman into a trap. When the car arrived at the gate, an SUV was waiting. The woman was already out of the first vehicle when Rattlesnake and Cardinal emerged from the SUV’s back seat. The woman, who according to the agreed facts had a “past history” with Rattlesnake, was terrified. She tried to return to the first vehicle but the driver locked the doors and drove away. Rattlesnake and Cardinal grabbed the woman and carried her to the back seat by her arms and legs while she screamed for help. The woman was thrown to the floor, where Cardinal and Rattlesnake punched and kicked her while the unidentified driver took them to a rural area outside Spruce Grove, 52 kilometres south. At one point, the woman felt a knife being dragged across her side and heard Rattlesnake say “you know what’s going to happen next.”
The SUV eventually stopped on a gravel road near a farmer’s field. Rattlesnake and Cardinal dragged the victim from the vehicle and laid her over a log. Cardinal held her legs while Rattlesnake repeatedly stabbed and slashed her with a large knife or machete. The two then returned to the SUV and drove away, leaving the woman bleeding heavily in the ditch. The woman eventually got to her feet and flagged down a passing vehicle. Paramedics were called and rushed her to University of Alberta Hospital, where she was treated for life-threatening injuries. She was discharged 10 days later. Rattlesnake, Cardinal and Bruno were arrested in January 2022 after a “lengthy” RCMP investigation. The case is next in court Friday to set a date for sentencing. Gladue reports — which consider the role intergenerational trauma played in an Indigenous person’s offending — have been ordered for Rattlesnake and Cardinal.
Crown prosecutor Lawrence Van Dyke consented to Bruno being released on bail, noting he is likely facing a sentence covered by his time in pre-trial custody. The agreed facts state that while Bruno lured the victim into the trap and accompanied Cardinal and Rattlesnake in the SUV, there is “no evidence” he knew what was going to happen. Alexander First Nation is around 55 km northwest of Edmonton.
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Topik: Crime