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Kevin Mantla found guilty of second degree murder, attempted murder

Convicted killer Kevin Mantla appealing conviction, sentence
Brendan Burke/NNSL photo.

Kevin Mantla has been found guilty of second degree murder and attempted murder in a 2015 attack that claimed the life of Elvis Lafferty and seriously injured his partner – the now convicted killer's ex-girlfriend.

Members of Lafferty's family, who regularly sat front row in court during the three-week-long trial that ended in February, broke down in tears as Justice Louise Charbonneau read the verdict in NWT Supreme Court Thursday.

Over the course of the trial, it was up to Crown prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mantla, 38, was responsible for carrying out a brutal and bloody stabbing at Lanky Court Apartments in Yellowknife in the early hours of Sept. 28, 2105.

The Crown also had to prove Mantla intended to kill both Lafferty and his ex-girlfriend, and that the attack was planned and deliberate. In handing down her decision Thursday, Justice Charbonneau drew from a direct and circumstantial evidence previously presented by prosecutors Blair McPherson and Jill Andrews.

With three witnesses who were inside the apartment unit at the time of the attack identifying Mantla as the assailant, Justice Charbonneau said their testimony – along with circumstantial evidence including security footage and DNA evidence – left her satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Manta was the one responsible for the attack.

She was also satisfied Mantla intended to kill both Lafferty and his ex-girlfriend because of the focused nature of the attack that saw both victims stabbed repeatedly.

When it came to establishing whether or not Mantla had planned and deliberated the attack, Justice Charbonneau said the Crown did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he had hatched a considered and well-thought out plan to commit murder – an argument made by the Crown during the trial, who contended Mantla committed the attack because he was jealous of his ex-girlfriend's new relationship.

As a result, Mantla was convicted of second degree murder – not first degree.

Outside of the Yellowknife courthouse, members of Lafferty's family expressed relief following the decision.

“It was dragging on for a long time, with all the evidence they put together. Finally it's all over. Right now we've got to get some closure and just be with the family,” said Ricky James Lafferty, Elvis' cousin.

Asked whether or not he was disappointed with the second degree murder conviction over a first degree conviction, Lafferty said he would have liked to see the former, but that “it is what it is.”

Elvis Lafferty died in hospital after succumbing to multiple stab wounds suffered during the attack. Lafferty's partner and Mantla's ex-girlfriend was transported to Edmonton where she underwent surgeries for deep stab wounds and broken bones.

Mantla now faces a mandatory life sentence with a parole ineligibility period of 10 to 25 years.

Mantla will in court Monday via video to set a date for a sentencing hearing, which is expected to take place sometime this summer.

More to come.