In a perplexing legal scenario, two individuals were convicted of involvement in a stabbing incident without conclusive evidence of either of them wielding the knife. Ashtin Ritzand and Colton Lischka found themselves in this predicament after the court determined that one of them was responsible for the fatal attack on James (Ed) Swift and Virginia Belhumeur, inflicting neck wounds on both victims. The altercation unfolded on August 29, 2022, at a remote junction near Saskatoon, following an initial confrontation in a liquor store parking lot involving Swift, Ritzand, Lischka, and their acquaintance Anthony Burley.
Subsequently, the group headed to Burley’s residence before embarking on a cocaine purchase journey, during which a dispute erupted in the vehicle’s back seat, leading to a wrong turn off course. Conflicting testimonies emerged regarding the events that transpired when Ritzand stopped the car for a redirection, culminating in Swift and Belhumeur being stabbed in the neck multiple times before being abandoned in a ditch by the other three individuals.
Charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder, Ritzand and Lischka pleaded not guilty, leading to a trial where Justice Michael Tochor acquitted them of the original charges but convicted them of manslaughter and aggravated assault. Crown prosecutor Paul Scott advocated for a 10 to 12-year sentence, emphasizing the gravity of the offense and the victims’ harrowing ordeal.
Belhumeur recounted the lasting trauma she has endured since the incident, expressing profound fear and anxiety in various situations due to witnessing Swift’s death and her own near-fatal encounter. Defense counsels for Ritzand and Lischka argued for leniency in sentencing, highlighting the judge’s findings that neither defendant was the primary perpetrator in the stabbing.
While Lischka’s lawyer sought a four-year prison term considering his client’s clean record, Ritzand’s counsel proposed a seven-year sentence, inclusive of remand time and a conditional release plan. Tochor is set to announce his sentencing decision on January 30, concluding a complex legal saga stemming from a tragic and fatal altercation.