14-year-old boy pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder in downtown Winnipeg library killing

A 14-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his part in the December 2022 stabbing death of 28-year-old Tyree Cayer at the Millennium Library in downtown Winnipeg.

The boy, who can't be named because he is a youth, is one of four people between the ages of 14 and 16 who were arrested in connection with the Dec. 11, 2022 homicide.

The 14-year-old entered his plea on Wednesday before Manitoba provincial court Judge David Mann, during a court appearance attended by members of his family and Cayer's loved ones.

Crown attorney David Burland read an agreed statement of facts about the day of Cayer's killing, but a publication ban is in place which prohibits disclosing details "in the interest of the proper administration of justice," he said at a Wednesday hearing.

"This was a very high-profile matter," Burland said, and the cases of the three others accused in the homicide are still working their way through the courts.

After the statement of facts was read, the teen's lawyer, Stacey Soldier, asked if it was his decision to enter a guilty plea.

"Yes," the boy said.

"Has anyone forced you to enter this guilty plea?" Soldier asked.

"No, ma'am," the teen responded.

Soldier and Burland will issue a joint sentencing recommendation at a later date.

The maximum youth sentence for second-degree murder is seven years, with no more than four years in custody followed by a period of supervision in the community.

The slaying of Cayer at Millennium Library prompted the facility to close for six weeks while a safety audit was underway.

When it reopened in late January, a walk-through metal detector, security screeners and uniformed police were in place, which the City of Winnipeg said were temporary measures. 

Those measures are still in place, the city confirmed on Thursday. A report on security recommendations was supposed to be presented to Winnipeg city council's community services committee by May 31, but the committee has extended that deadline by a month, a city spokesperson said.

Millennium Library previously had similar security measures in place, but they were scrapped in 2020 following a public outcry about the library becoming less accessible.