Edmonton man pleads guilty to manslaughter in fatal LRT station stabbing

A man has admitted to fatally stabbing a stranger at a north Edmonton LRT station in 2023.

Jamal Joshua Malik Wheeler pleaded guilty to manslaughter last week in the death of Rukinisha Nkundabatware.

The 52-year-old father had taken the train to Belvedere station to meet a friend on the night of July 9, 2023, when he was killed.

Wheeler was initially charged with second-degree murder in a case that sparked outcry over safety in Edmonton's public spaces and transit system.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Wheeler was among a group that got into an altercation with Nkundabatware and his friend at Belvedere station. The two men had never previously met.

Nkundabatware was standing on the street just south of the transit centre at about 9:50 p.m. when Wheeler appeared and sprinted across the transit centre parking lot with a knife.

The agreed facts say Wheeler was pursuing Nkundabatware's friend, but as that person fled, Wheeler stabbed Nkundabatware in the chest and ran away.

The victim managed to cross the street before he collapsed near Fort Road and 129th Avenue. Police and EMS came to the scene, but the father of seven was declared dead at the scene just after 10 p.m.

Case prompts call for bail reform

Wheeler was arrested at another man's home two days later, on July 11, 2023.

The agreed facts say transit peace officers identified Wheeler on surveillance footage, since they'd had "previous interactions" with him. Edmonton police officers confirmed who he was based on a distinctive tattoo with an expletive, and issued an arrest warrant.

The agreed facts say Wheeler acknowledged that he stabbed Nkundabatware in a post-arrest interview.

Nkundabatware's family and community held vigils in the days following his death, publicly calling for change as they mourned, and asking why city and police authorities had been unable to protect him.

Police said Wheeler had been living in an encampment near Belvedere station at the time of the killing. He was also supposed to be bound by release conditions not to possess weapons or attend any LRT station.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi wrote a letter to then-federal Justice Minister David Lametti in the aftermath of the stabbing asking for immediate action on bail reform. Sohi pointed out that Wheeler was supposed to be under 24-hour house arrest, and had been charged for breaching bail conditions.

Wheeler will be sentenced for manslaughter at a later date.