Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal has ruled Brian Kyle Thomas, 24, won’t be eligible for parole for 12 years as part of his life sentence for the second-degree murder of Winnipeg Transit driver Irvine Jubal Fraser.
Fraser, 58, was fatally stabbed outside his bus in the early morning hours of Feb.14, 2017 in a confrontation with Thomas, the lone passenger left on his bus at the end of his route on the University of Manitoba campus.
Thomas was found guilty of second-degree murder by a jury following a trial earlier this year.
In his ruling Joyal told court he accepted Thomas had a knife with him while he was a passenger on the bus and that he engaged the weapon quickly during the confrontation with Fraser.
Fraser was stabbed 12 times. Security video played in court showed Fraser forcibly removing Thomas from the bus and then leaping out of the bus after Thomas spat at him and swore at Fraser, while Fraser stood at the top of the stairs at the entrance to the bus.
“The offence in this case was brutal and the impact on the community was far reaching,” Joyal said.
Joyal told court Thomas acted impulsively and explosively.
In delivering his sentence Joyal said at certain points during the confrontation Fraser was no longer acting within the ambit of his duties as a Winnipeg Transit operator.
Joyal told court the victim’s actions don’t justify the second-degree murder the jury found Thomas guilty of committing.
More details to come...
