“It’s just not fair,” says victim’s mother as eight-year prison sentence given for 2022 Red Deer stabbing death

Evans-Goodrunning was given 644 days’ credit for time already served, and has 75 months remaining in his sentence. He was also given a lifetime firearms ban, and will likely serve his time at Bowden Institution.

The courtroom, which included family members of Loughlin, heard Justice Robert Armstrong walk through the events of the night Loughlin was killed in Red Deer, and both the aggravating and mitigating factors that led to the sentence.

Robyn Bourque, Loughlin’s mother, spoke to rdnewsNOW after the ruling, expressing her belief that the system should allow for a much stiffer sentence, upwards of 25 years.

“I think that he [Brandon] was able to get better and even though he was homeless, he could’ve done better, been on the road to whatever, had a family, and children, and a house,” she said, fighting back tears.

“Whereas the defendant is now able, once he’s served his time, can have a family, a house, get jobs, get a car loan and move on with his life as if nothing ever happened. It’s just not fair.”

Justice Armstrong detailed how on the night of Oct. 13, 2022, Loughlin, a 24-year-old experiencing homelessness in Red Deer, crossed paths with Evans-Goodrunning.

The two did not know one another, but Evans-Goodrunning was asked by Loughlin if he wanted drugs.

Agreeing, Loughlin mistakenly gave Evans-Goodrunning heroine instead of what he’d asked for. As Loughlin was loading a pipe with something to counteract the heroine, and with his back turned, an enraged Evans-Goodrunning stabbed him six times with a knife — twice in the back, perforating both lungs, once on the left thigh, once on the left knee, once on the right leg, and once to his right thigh which hit a major artery.

Loughlin struggled to a nearby apartment building for help, but died.

The entire attack was filmed by Evans-Goodrunning on his phone, and later posted to social media platform Snapchat with accompanying music.

As Loughlin was fleeing, Justice Armstrong recounted, Evans-Goodrunning shouted at him, “Yeah, run bitch.”

On the downgraded (from second-degree murder) charge of manslaughter, which Evans-Goodrunning pleaded guilty to in May 2024, the Crown was asking for a 10 to 12-year prison sentence, while Evans-Goodrunning’s lawyer was seeking four to six years. Serving as co-Crowns in the case were Ryan McElhoes and James Sawa, the latter of whom had to recuse himself from the case as of Aug. 28 after being appointed to Regional Justice for Calgary.

Justice Armstrong noted his aggravating factors as including the fact Evans-Goodrunning was on release when the offense occurred, that he has a lengthy criminal record, a weapon was involved, it was unprovoked, that there was an element of foresight in that he filmed it, and that posting the video to Snapchat displayed a degree of, “callousness,” and, “disregard to the dignity,” of Loughlin.

As for mitigating factors, they include the early guilty plea and his, “heartfelt, sincere and thoughtful,” apology at a pre-sentencing hearing.

Additionally on the mitigating side is the case’s Colonial Impact Report — more commonly known as a Gladue Report.

The courtroom heard that Evans-Goodrunning was born in Rocky Mountain House, and in his early years witnessed a significant amount of family violence, as well as alcohol and methamphetamine use.

Evans-Goodrunning, the report details, also faced racism in elementary school and was later expelled, never completing more than Grade 8. He was also the victim of sexual abuse multiple times as a teen, and a girlfriend of his father’s introduced him to crack cocaine.

Justice Armstrong then touched heavily on intergenerational trauma, noting that Evans-Gooodrunning’s grandmother was a part of the residential school system. This would’ve led her to poor parenting of Evans-Goodrunning’s father, and it spilled heavily over into the parenting of Evans-Goodrunning himself.

“Intergenerational trauma is sometimes insidious, subtle and difficult to trace,” said Armstrong.

He said in this case, the, “terrible legacy of intergenerational trauma,” is obvious.

Meantime, Armstrong acknowledged, Evans-Goodrunning is reportedly no longer fighting in prison and has taken steps to stop said legacy by immersing himself in prayer, smudging and Wellbriety programs.

He wants to own a construction company one day and is working to complete his Grade 12, Armstrong noted about Evans-Goodrunning.

“As the judge indicated, there is an obvious link between the trauma experienced by Mr. Evans-Goodrunning and his criminality. His criminality is part of the legacy of intergenerational trauma,” says Maurice Collard, Evans-Goodrunning’s lawyer.

“It is problematic when a person records and posts to social media their stabbing of an unarmed homeless person to death, but Mr. Evans-Goodrunning has demonstrated insight into the violence in his life and shown sincere attempts to better control his anger and impulsivity.”

Collard says the young man, now 22, is very happy with the imposed sentence, “and more importantly, he is happy this is a plea to manslaughter and not murder, wherein he will have early parole eligibility. With his time in custody, we expect that he will be released in a couple years.”

Had Evans-Goodrunning pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, he could have faced a life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 years. In manslaughter cases, parole eligibility first comes a third into the sentence.

Collard also noted that the recording and posting to social media of the video played a big part in the decision to plead guilty and not go through a trial.

Justice Armstrong noted that Evans-Goodrunning was arrested on Oct. 15, 2022 on a matter unrelated to the killing two days prior. He was asked about it by police, however, and denied involvement.

In a second interview by police in the weeks that followed, he admitted to the killing, and was subsequently charged after his arrest on Dec. 2, 2022.

The killing is known to have taken place at around 2:30 a.m. in the area of 58 Avenue and 61 Street, in Riverside Meadows, RCMP said at the time.

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by Josh Hall | @Vancan19

“It’s just not fair,” says victim’s mother as eight-year prison sentence given for 2022 Red Deer stabbing death

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