Court hears accused admit to stabbing cousin

A man on trial for the slaying of his teenage cousin told police he killed his “best friend” because he didn’t want her to be sad anymore.

On Tuesday, a second-degree murder trial of Joseph Ryan Sinclair for the death of 17-year-old Leona Neapetung-Stevens heard evidence from police officers who responded to the Terra Losa townhouse where the teen was stabbed multiple times on Oct. 31, 2015.

A video and accompanying transcript of Sinclair’s interview with a detective following his arrest were admitted as an exhibit when the trial began Monday.

Court heard that Sinclair, who is represented by defence lawyer Naeem Rauf, concedes he caused his cousin’s death, but that he is not guilty of murder because he didn’t intend to kill her.

However, Crown prosecutor Kevin Mark argued in an opening statement Monday that Sinclair’s intent to kill was clear when he stabbed the teen multiple times as she slept.

In the interview with a detective, Sinclair said he and his cousin were drinking alcohol on the night of Oct. 30, 2015, before they both went to sleep. He said he stabbed her with a kitchen knife in the early hours of Oct. 31.

Afterwards, he attempted to kill himself by several different methods, he said.

He survived and left the house and went to work. When he was arrested, he was taken to hospital for treatment before being interrogated by police.

During questioning, he said that Neapetung-Stevens became his closest friend when he moved to Edmonton from Winnipeg.

The detective pressed Sinclair about why he’d killed his cousin.

Sinclair said his cousin was going through some new struggle every day.

“I don’t know, was just, just tired of her always being so sad,” he said, according to the transcript.

The trial is expected to resume Wednesday.