A triple stabbing at a University of Waterloo gender studies class last year was clearly motivated by hate, prosecutors argued Thursday, pointing to a manifesto written by the man who pleaded guilty in the case and his comments to police.
In its submissions at Geovanny Villalba-Aleman’s sentencing hearing, the provincial Crown cited his hateful remarks about feminists and members of the LGBTQ+ community among the “significant” aggravating factors the court must consider.
Villalba-Aleman has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm in the June 2023 attack that left a professor and two students with stab wounds.
Provincial prosecutor Armin Sethi said a manifesto Villalba-Aleman shared on an online messaging platform before the attack railed against transgender people, feminists and ideologies that he believed were resulting in censorship of his own views.
He also told police that he specifically targeted a gender studies class, Sethi said, noting that Villalba-Aleman destroyed a Pride flag during the attack.
“Hate-motivated offences tear at the very fabric of our society,” Sethi told the court, adding that such crimes have a “very dehumanizing impact” – not just on the victims but also on other members of the targeted groups and society as a whole.
Sethi noted the attack took place during Pride month and that Villalba-Aleman later told police there were “too many things” going to do with the LGBTQ+ community.
“The context, the timing, location speaks volumes in terms of what Mr. Villalba-Aleman did,” Sethi said.
On Wednesday, a psychologist who recently assessed Villalba-Aleman told the court that he appeared to be in a downward spiral and may have experienced a psychotic break in the weeks leading up to the attack.
But prosecutors argued Thursday that any mental-health conditions Villalba-Aleman may have had should not mitigate his crimes because there’s nothing to suggest his violent acts were beyond his control.
The Crown also argued Thursday that Villalba-Aleman’s psych assessment suggests “a continuation of his thoughts and beliefs” that may pose a risk to others in the future.
Federal prosecutors, who made their own submissions at the multi-day sentencing hearing, have argued that Villalba-Aleman’s offences amount to terrorism in this case because they were motivated by ideology and meant to intimidate the public. They are seeking a sentence of 16 years.
The provincial Crown argued Thursday that if the judge does not find the offences constitute terrorism, but agrees they were hate-motivated, a 13-year sentence should be handed down.
Villalba-Aleman, an international student who came to Canada from Ecuador in 2018, initially faced 11 charges in the case.
Court heard Thursday that he will eventually be subject to a deportation order.