A Winnipeg man whose frenzied knife attack on a rooming-house neighbour left his victim nearly decapitated has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.
Abdiazia Saeed pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in the July 2023 killing of 64-year-old Marcel Alphonse Painchaud.
Saeed has a history of violence and mental-health struggles and had been experiencing auditory hallucinations in the weeks leading up to the killing, court heard.
Saeed’s guilty plea came as the result of a plea bargain that took manslaughter off the table while acknowledging the role Saeed’s mental illness played in the slaying, Crown attorney Julia Negrea told Court of King’s Bench Justice Joan McKelvey. Ten years is the minimum period of parole ineligibility allowed for people convicted of second-degree murder.
“The Crown accepts that though Mr. Saeed is entering that plea to second-degree murder, there were certainly triable issues as to his ability at the time to form the intent to commit second-degree murder, as opposed to manslaughter,” Negrea said.
A forensic psychiatric report concluded Saeed did not meet the requirements for a not criminally responsible finding.
Saeed, who immigrated to Canada from Somaliland as a child, has been diagnosed with PTSD, bipolar disorder and possible schizophrenia. In 2003 he suffered a traumatic brain injury in an automobile crash and started “self-medicating” with methamphetamine and crack cocaine, court was told.
At the time of the killing, Saeed was not taking any medication or being treated by a doctor for his mental-health concerns, “despite these being longstanding and known to him,” Negrea said.
“Given the history of violence, that is very concerning,” she said. “Part of what we are achieving with this sentence is ensuring Mr. Saeed remains under parole supervision for the rest of his life and we hope that that will include monitoring and treatment of his mental-health issues.”
In the days and weeks leading up to the killing, Saeed came to believe other tenants in his Langside Street rooming house, including Painchaud, had been talking behind his back and accusing him of “unsavoury” actions, Negrea said.
On July 7, at about 9 p.m., Saeed armed himself with a knife and went to Painchaud’s room.
“Unprovoked, Mr. Saeed proceeded to stab Mr. Painchaud at least 40 times in the neck and upper body, causing extensive and fatal injuries… essentially almost decapitating him,” Negrea said.
Saeed cleaned the knife before fleeing the rooming house. He returned a day later and attempted to damage the rooming house’s security cameras in an attempt to destroy any video evidence of the killing, which had not yet been discovered.
“Although (Saeed’s) actions may have been motivated by psychotic symptoms, he appreciated the nature and quality of his actions,” Negrea said. “I would say the fact he returned and tried to remove those video cameras shows pretty clearly he knew (his actions) were morally and legally wrong.”
The rooming-house landlord immediately evicted Saeed. Later, the landlord, noticing he had not seen Painchaud for some time, sent his wife to check on him and found him dead in his room.
When arrested a day later, Saeed admitted to the killing just 20 minutes into his interview with police, said defence lawyer Manny Bhangu.
Saeed “feels terrible for what happened” and knows the killing had a “devastating” impact on those close to Painchaud, Bhangu said.
Bhangu said Saeed has a history of volunteerism and can be a productive member of the community when properly medicated and supported.
Tenants described Painchaud as “the kindest, gentlest person” in the rooming house, Negrea said.
A friend told the Free Press at the time Painchaud was a “very intelligent” man with a “huge” sense of humour.
“He loved talking about anything, even if he didn’t agree with the viewpoint,” the woman said. “Who would kill such a nice man as him?”
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
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Updated on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 8:04 PM CDT: Adds photo
