Man found guilty of Misha Pavelick murder a ‘low level functioning person,’ says psychologist

Day two of the sentencing hearing for the man who killed Misha Pavelick saw testimony from a psychologist. Sierra D'Souza Butts reports.

The man convicted of killing Misha Pavelick in 2006 has been described as a “low level functioning person” by a psychologist.

During his sentencing hearing, which continued Wednesday, the court heard impact statements from both a psychologist and a supervisor from Saskatchewan’s community corrections who shared assessments of the man found guilty of Misha Pavelick’s death.

Pavelick was fatally stabbed at a high-school graduation party held near Regina Beach on May 21, 2006.

After a nearly 20-year investigation, a Regina 37-year-old man, who was 17 at the time of Pavelick’s death and cannot be named due to the protections of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was found guilty of second-degree murder in November of last year.

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Although the man was charged as a youth, the Crown has indicated it will seek an adult sentence.

Neuropsychologist Dr. Mirna Vrbancic examined Pavelick’s killer a month after the trial and conviction. She shared the results of her examination, telling the court there were 14 different tests performed over the course of six hours to determine his overall cognitive abilities.

From her findings, Vrbancic described him as a “low level functioning person” referring to his cognitive and social capacity, along with his emotional stability.

“There’s no such thing as a straight mind, but what it shows you is here he is at 37 years-old. He’s had the benefit of another 20 years of exposure, of learning, education in various forms,” Vrbancic explained to Crown prosecutor Adam Breker.

“Even though it’s not a formal education, but just through exposure of being and living, and he’s clearly not acquiring these skills which suggests that even at the age of 17, he was probably less capable, which is unfortunate.”

She added that the man aligning himself with like-minded people may have also contributed towards his behaviour.

The man also dealt with anger and alcohol issues when he was about 13-years-old, Breker outlined in the report submitted by Vrbancic.

During the assessment, the Regina man told Vrbancic it “became a serious problem to him” at the age of 24, leading him to “abuse hard drugs such as meth and cocaine” up until his early 30s.

Through cross-examination from defence lawyer Andrew Hitchcock, Vrbancic agreed that life events - such as a series concussions, years of drug and alcohol use - that happened to the man between the age of 17 and his age now could have reduced his cognitive function, as he was examined at 37 years-old based on events that happened in May 2006 and before.

Criminal history of Pavelick’s killer

Lea Zohner, a supervisor from Saskatchewan’s community corrections, spoke to a number of documents pertaining to the Regina man’s custody records at Paul Dojack Youth Centre – prior to 2006.

The documents involved entries of the man’s community safety plans, risk assessments, daily and annual reports done by youth workers and probation officers, Zohner explained.

Details about what the man was convicted for were unclear in the court.

Earlier this week, the court heard impact statements from family and friends of Pavelick.

The sentencing hearing will continue on Thursday as the Crown and defence prepare for closing sentencing submissions.