'You owe it to my son' to turn life around, weeping mother tells teen sentenced in Winnipeg library murder

Family members of a man fatally stabbed in a downtown Winnipeg library last December wept in court Tuesday as they talked about their painful loss in the presence of the teenager who pleaded guilty to the murder.

Reading a victim impact statement in court in Winnipeg, Tania Cayer said she struggles to function and can barely sleep most nights since the death of her only child, Tyree Cayer.

"I have no confidence in our youth justice system," she said through tears, turning her attention to the 15-year-old boy who murdered Tyree.

"The system is failing our citizens. The only justice I will ever have is that you change your life. You owe it to [Tyree], you owe it to your mother … you owe it to my son to live proper."

Provincial court Judge Keith Eyrikson sentenced the teen, whose identity is protected because he is a youth, to the maximum youth sentence for second-degree murder: seven years, with four years in custody followed by three years of community supervision.

The sentence had been jointly recommended by Crown attorney David Burland and the boy's defence lawyer, Stacey Soldier.

The teen pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charge this summer for fatally stabbing Cayer, 28, on Dec. 11 at the Millennium Library.

The teen, 14 at the time, is one of four youth who were arrested in connection with the incident. The other three — ages 14, 15 and 16 at the time — were charged with manslaughter.

Cayer died that night after being stabbed several times. The teen turned himself in to police later that night.

Burland read an agreed statement of facts outlining how the attack happened in court, but a publication ban issued this summer restricts media from sharing details of the incident because the three co-accused are still before the courts.

The teen apologized in court Tuesday and said the last thought on his mind the day he dies will be of Cayer.

"I want to say sorry to the family," he said. "I took his life. I took him away from his family."

'Not even a library is safe': Crown

The boy had no criminal record before the stabbing, the Crown attorney said in court.

"It was basically a random murder and it was senseless ... in a place that's supposed to be safe for families, students, the vulnerable, people like Tyree," said Burland. "It's a communal space of learning that was horrendously violated that day."

The Millennium Library, Winnipeg's central branch, was closed for six weeks following the stabbing. It reopened in January with a walk-through metal detector, security screeners and uniformed police, which the city said at the time were temporary measures.

Burland said beyond the tragic loss of Cayer, there's been a "massive impact to the public."

"[The library] now has metal detectors, police, security like a prison rather than a community gathering spot," he said. 

"The city was shocked by this murder and everyone was left asking, 'what is going on? What's happening to Winnipeg? Not even a library is safe.'"

Similar security measures that had been in place at the Millennium Library previously were met with a wave of criticism from the public and advocates who decried the move as making the public space less accessible. They were eventually removed.

A pre-sentence report said the teen was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and struggled with "severe impulsivity" that may have contributed to the incident, Burland said. He was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in relation to an accident he suffered in childhood.

Those reports also noted he was a moderate to high risk to reoffend.

The defence and Crown attorney recommended the teen serve his sentence under a intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision order, or IRCS, and continue to take medication for ADHD.

An IRCS is a rehabilitation plan developed in an attempt to help minimize the chance the person does something violent again. They can be ordered for youth with mental health needs who are convicted of a serious violent offence.

Life in 'shambles': mom

Burland said Tyree, too, was impacted by mental health challenges

He had been a star running back with the Elmwood Giants football team, who have since retired his jersey number.

But he struggled after high school, particularly with the death of an aunt in 2017 with whom he was very close, court heard. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD.

His mother said her son had a consistent desire to help others in need, almost like "he thought he was Robin Hood." That giving nature sometimes put him in "unsafe situations," she said.

Tania Cayer said she moved outside the city a couple of years ago, and hoped she could draw her son out too, which she thought could have helped him.

"My life now is in complete shambles," she said.

"I won't have grandchildren. I won't ever see him get married. I won't get any more pictures or text message — 'Love you, Mama Bear.'"