Guilty plea entered in 2019 stabbing
Assistant Crown attorney Kelly Eberhard says there’s no rhyme or reason for why Micah Drynan plunged a knife into Nicholas Monahan in the summer of 2019.
“It was a dangerous and risky act,” Eberhard said, adding it’s only because of good fortune that Drynan wasn’t facing murder charges. “This could have very easily marked the end of Mr. Monahan’s life.”
Drynan, who was originally charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated assault from Central East Correctional Centre (CECC) in Lindsay.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Drynan and Trevor Kotzma were walking in downtown Peterborough in the area of George and Hunter streets just after 2 a.m. on Aug. 3, 2019 when Monahan was allegedly calling them on to fight. Video surveillance captured Kotzma and Monahan in a fist fight.
“Kotzma was seen throwing a punch then seen jumping back to possibly avoid a punch, and at that point Kotzma backed up and turned to disengage,” Eberhard said, noting the camera captured Drynan with a shiny straight object believed to be a knife. “It was at this time that Drynan stabbed Monahan in the left side of his body with a knife that punctured into his rib cage and into his lung.”
Monahan was airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto in critical condition where he spent 11 days with chest tubes because of the collapsed lung.
Eberhard is asking Justice Robert Beninger to consider a federal sentence of between four and six years, citing the aggravating factors of the case, and Drynan’s long criminal past, which started as youth. Eberhard told the court that Drynan has 104 entries on his criminal record since 2006. Seven of those are for violent offences and another four for weapon offences.
“This is not a record to be envied,” she said. “There was no rhyme or reason to jump in with a knife.”
Speaking on behalf of her client, lawyer Karen Fay said Drynan agreed to the facts, but had no specific memory of the stabbing due to drug use. Fay didn’t make her sentencing submission because she needed more time to obtain lockdown records from the CECC.
The matter resumes on Dec.11.