Man convicted of murdering Winnipeg taxi driver may face deportation, defence lawyers say
CTV
A Winnipeg man who fatally stabbed a taxi driver 17 times in what the court has described as a rage and racism fuelled attack will be handed a life sentence and may face deportation, the court heard during a sentencing hearing.
A Winnipeg man who fatally stabbed a taxi driver 17 times in what the court has described as a rage and racism fuelled attack will be handed a life sentence and may face deportation, the court heard during a sentencing hearing.
Okoth Obeing sat quietly in the prisoner's box of a Manitoba Court of King's Bench courtroom Thursday morning as more than a dozen of his friends and family watched on from the gallery. There they listened to lawyers argue over how long Obeing will remain behind bars before he has any chance of parole.
Obeing, now 23, was accused of fatally stabbing 44-year-old Balvir Toor 17 times in his cab on Burrows Avenue in the early hours of March 19, 2020. Last month, Justice Joan McKelvey found Obeing guilty of second-degree murder, and said the killing was fuelled by rage, animus, disrespect and racism.
The conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.
On Thursday, during a sentencing hearing, the Crown asked for Obeing to remain behind bars for 15 years before he becomes eligible for parole – five years longer than the minimum.
"In this case, Mr. Obeing's hatred towards individuals of South Asian descent manifested in a violent manner with devastating consequences," Crown prosecutor Monique Cam said, adding Obeing showed a lack of remorse and indifference to Toor's suffering.
Cam also pointed out four violent incidents Obeing has been involved in while incarcerated since Toor's killing.
