Kyle Pietz sentenced to 16 years in robbery and death of Eduardo Balaquit
The man found guilty of manslaughter in the June 2018 robbery and death of 59-year-old Eduardo Balaquit of Winnipeg has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Court of King’s Bench Justice Sadie Bond sentenced Kyle Pietz, 37, on Monday in a crowded courtroom filled with friends and family of Balaquit.
Pietz was found guilty by a jury of manslaughter this past May.
Balaquit’s body has not been found.
In sentencing Pietz, Bond accepted as fact Pietz planned to rob Mr. Balaquit of his bank cards and personal identification numbers (PINs) and then disposed of his body north of Winnipeg, somewhere in the Arborg area.
“Whatever Mr. Pietz did to Mr. Balaquit during the robbery caused his death,” Bond told the court.
She accepted an argument made by the Crown that Pietz would’ve understood in advance there was a risk of causing bodily harm to Balaquit during the robbery.
“They argued it was objectively foreseeable that using violence to steal Mr. Balaquit’s bank cards and to extract from him his personal identification numbers would put him at risk of serious bodily harm,” Bond told the court. “I find that just as a reasonable person would know that using violence to steal a person’s bank cards and extract from that person their PINs would put them at risk for serious bodily injury. Mr. Pietz knew that, too.”
Bond noted she approached this issue with caution as there was no evidence heard at trial on the exact nature of the violence that caused Balaquit’s death.
Balaquit, who worked alone as a cleaner at Westcon Equipment and Rentals, disarmed the alarm just after 6 p.m. on June 4, 2018.
He was never seen or heard from again.
The Crown argued at trial Pietz, driven by financial desperation, killed Balaquit while robbing him of his bank cards and PINs at Westcon and then discarded his body in the area of Arborg, Man. north of Winnipeg.
“In my view, there is ample evidence to support the inference Mr. Pietz planned the robbery of Mr. Balaquit,” Bond told the court.
Pietz received credit for time served, leaving 14 years and 278 days remaining on his sentence.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal joins growing chorus of Liberals calling for Trudeau to step down
Calgary Liberal MP George Chahal has publicly released letters he sent to the Liberal caucus and president of the Liberal Party of Canada, calling on them to begin the process of moving on from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
DEVELOPING Delta, B.C., port terminals closed after 'machinery fire' Saturday morning
A large fire at the port in Delta, B.C., sent a plume of smoke into the sky Saturday morning.
Magnus Carlsen quits World Rapid and Blitz Championships after refusing to change out of jeans
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen quit the World Rapid Chess Championship on Friday after he refused to change out of the jeans he was wearing, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Friend of Quebec man killed in Florida boat explosion says his sister also injured
A childhood friend of the Quebec man killed in a Florida boat explosion earlier this week says one of the victim's sisters was among the other six passengers injured in the blast.
What is known about a plane crash in Kazakhstan after Putin apologized for a 'tragic incident'?
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a 'tragic incident' following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible.
Trudeau, Carney push back over Trump's ongoing 51st state comments
Two senior members of the federal cabinet were in Florida Friday pushing Canada's new $1.3 billion border plan with members of Donald Trump's transition team, a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself appeared to finally push back at the president-elect over his social media posts about turning Canada into the 51st state.
G2 driver stopped going more than 100 km/h over the speed limit on Hwy. 401 in eastern Ontario
A 17-year-old driver is facing charges after being caught speeding and driving dangerously on Highway 401 in eastern Ontario Friday evening, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
How some men are trying to fight online misogyny amid 'your body, my choice' rhetoric
A young man with a buzz cut leans on a pristine countertop in a stark white kitchen and looks directly into the camera as he delivers what he presents as the secret to dating success for straight men.
Physical therapy is 'the best-kept secret in health care'
If you think physical therapy is only about rehabilitation after surgery or recovering from an accident, think again. For the vast majority, seeing a physical therapist should be about prevention, routine assessment and staying well.