‘Savage and brutal,’ Erickson home invasion nets 17-year sentence

BRANDON — A woman who fought off the man who slashed her throat in a random home invasion in Erickson described the violent assault as the worst day of her life and a nightmare she can’t seem to shake off.

“I feel like a shell of the person I used to be. Not every second of every day, but definitely every day. It comes in waves,” Candace Richardson said as she read from a victim impact statement in a Brandon courtroom on Friday.

Carter Prince, 21, who pleaded guilty to attempted murder for the June 2023 attack, sat in the prisoner’s box as Richardson spoke.

“I’ll be completely fine, laughing, having fun or just relaxing with my family,” she told the court. “Then time goes so slowly, like you’re floating away, but instead of floating, I’m pinned to the ground, being stabbed over and over again. There’s blood everywhere and darkness surrounding me.”

Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Justice Elliot Leven sentenced Prince to 17 years in prison, accounting for his young age at the time of the crime, his guilty plea, the systemic and background factors he faces as an Indigenous offender, and his absence of a criminal record.

Richardson wiped her eyes as she recalled feeling scared for the safety of her five-week-old fetus — who is now healthy and happy — and how she will explain the incident to her children when they are older.

She detailed the extensive, months-long care her husband, Scott McMunn, provided as she slowly recovered from her severe injuries, including multiple cuts and lacerations on her head, face, hands, chest, neck and legs, and how she fears sensation may never return to her left hand.

The tip of a butterfly knife used in the attack also broke off in her skull and was removed by surgery.

“Fear runs my life now. How am I supposed to live knowing Carter will eventually be released from prison?” Richardson said, noting that she’s afraid to fall asleep at night.

A court sheriff handed Prince a tissue as he listened to Richardson, and a packed courtroom of supporters, get emotional during the hearing.

Richardson’s life forever changed in the early hours of June 6, 2023, when she was sleeping in the basement of her home and awoke to Prince crawling into the bed, hitting her head 20 to 30 times and repeatedly stabbing her.

In the struggle to get away, the then-30-year-old woman tried grabbing his knife before she fell into a TV and then onto the floor — momentarily losing consciousness — until he got on top of her and cut her throat. She was able to gouge one of his eyes with her thumb and then Prince fled from the home.

The woman went upstairs and ran across the road to a neighbour for help.

After the assault, Prince, who was 18, went to his high school for class. When he was questioned by multiple people about a deep cut on his pinky finger, he claimed the injury was from a skateboard accident.

Later that evening, he was invited to a friend’s barbecue, where he discarded the knife near a backyard firepit. The weapon was found by the friend’s sibling, who gave it to their mother.

The mother called police as the knife was bloodied and had strands of hair caught in it. On June 7, a black hoodie with blood-like stains was found under the friend’s deck and was handed over to police.

Wasagaming RCMP arrested Prince that day. He was denied bail in July 2023 and has been in custody at the Headingley Correctional Centre since his arrest.

In McMunn’s victim impact statement, he described how his wife and son’s survival is “nothing short of a real miracle.”

“I hope my family … never has to experience that darkness ever again.”

Crown attorney Rich Lonstrup suggested a sentence of between 18 and 20 years would be appropriate due to the “deeply horrifying” nature of the assault that shocked the community and involved “almost unthinkable levels of personal violence.”

“It was savage and brutal. It was persistent. It was drawn out and punitive. And it was disfiguring and life-threatening,” he said.

Richardson required 15 urgent surgical procedures followed by long-term followup appointments with specialists, Lonstrup said.

While the court must consider mitigating factors, such as the offender’s background, Lonstrup said they aren’t a “ticket to a sentencing discount,” and any rehabilitation efforts Prince has made in custody doesn’t “budge the needle” given his post-offence behaviour.

Defence lawyer Brett Gladstone recommended a sentence in the range of 12 to 13 years and explained his client was “blackout drunk” and has no recollection of the incident.

“This appears to be drastically out-of-character behaviour,” he said, adding there’s a “glimmer of hope” in knowing Prince intends never to drink alcohol again.

Gladstone argued the judge should consider Prince’s guilty plea, his young age at the time of the offence, how the attack wasn’t premeditated and that the offender has a supportive family who are committed to helping him when he gets out of prison.

The defence read a letter written by Prince, which stated how sorry he is for causing irreparable harm to the victim and her family.

“What happened, you did not deserve. So, I pray that your future is bright and full of new loving memories. A long, happy life with so much blessings,” the letter said.

The judge said his sentencing decision focused on deterrence and denunciation while factoring in rehabilitation.

“I have tried my best and come up with a number of 17 years,” Leven said.

Prince must also submit a sample of DNA, not communicate with the victim and her husband, and is subject to a lifetime weapons ban.

— Brandon Sun