Jury finds man guilty of murder in stabbing of taxi passenger
A jury has found a man guilty in the fatal stabbing of a taxi passenger that shocked onlookers on a busy street corner in downtown Vancouver.
Kenneth Bryson Williams, 25, was found guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the February 2014 slaying of Robert Tyson Smith, 28. The verdict came late Thursday after a day of deliberations by the B.C. Supreme Court jury in Vancouver.
Court heard that just prior the murder, Smith and a friend were in a cab on their way to the entertainment district for a night out.
The Crown’s theory was Williams and a friend of his named Robert White were walking north on Granville Street when they encountered the cab near Georgia Street.
The taxi was stopped for a red light and as Williams and White walked by the cab, one of them kicked or struck the taxi, the Crown said. Words were exchanged between the taxi driver and the pedestrians and Smith got out of the cab and confronted them.
A fight broke out between Smith and White, prompting Williams to without warning lunge forward and stab Smith in the chest and shoulder area, said the Crown.
Smith was taken to Vancouver General Hospital, but died of his injuries.
At trial, Williams, who was 23 at the time of the murder, testified that he’d been drinking that night and didn’t remember anything about the incident.
His lawyer argued the Crown had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Williams was the assailant and suggested that it was White who stabbed Smith.
The defence said that even if the jury concluded that it was Williams who stabbed Smith, then there was a reasonable doubt about whether he had the requisite intent for murder because he’d been drinking. The Crown told the jury that they could conclude that, despite consuming alcohol, Williams was able to foresee stabbing the victim in the chest would cause bodily harm likely to cause death and was reckless whether death ensued or not.
Second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no parole eligibility of between 10 and 25 years. Justice Patrice Abrioux ordered a report that will look into Williams’ aboriginal background and what affect it should have on sentencing.
The case has been put over until Nov. 16 to fix a date for sentencing.