Teens plead guilty to second-degree murder in Winnipeg park killing

Local teens plead guilty to second-degree murder Two Manitoba teens have pled guilty in the trial of a man found dead in Assiniboine park. Danton Unger reports.

WARNING: The details in this article may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.

Two Manitoba teens have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of a man in a parking lot of Assiniboine Park more than one year ago.

Paul Enns, a 43-year-old man from Winnipeg, was found dead inside his car in the early morning hours of Feb. 26, 2022.

On Monday, the two teenagers charged in his death – a girl from Stonewall and a boy from Warren, aged 15 and 17 at the time of the killing – were led into Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench as members of their family and the victim’s family watched on.

Both the teens have pleaded guilty to the charge of second-degree murder. The teens cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

TEENS PLANNED MEETING WITH VICTIM UNDER GUISE OF ROMANTIC ENCOUNTER

Enns' parents, sister and lifelong friends sat in the gallery Monday, but left the room as the Crown read out an agreed statement of facts outlining the details of the murder.

Court heard the two teens had been dating at the time of the killing. While (the girl) did not know Enns, the court was told (the boy) previously had a 'physically hostile encounter' with him.

On the day of the murder, court heard the two teens exchanged more than 100 messages with Enns using the girl's cellphone, arranging to meet at Assiniboine Park for a 'romantic encounter.'

It was in a parking lot of Assiniboine Park where Enns was assaulted causing his death, court heard.

"While (the boy) lay hiding outside, (the girl) initiated the assault in the deceased's vehicle by stabbing him three times with a sharpened screwdriver," Crown Prosecutor Jodi Koffman told the court while reading an agreed statement of facts. "(The boy) then joined the attack on the deceased using his fists and a baseball bat."

Koffman said an autopsy revealed extensive injuries.

Enns was found shortly before 3 a.m. by park security guards who came upon his car in the parking lot.

"The deceased was found curled up in the back seat of his car," Koffman said, telling the court the man's blood was found splattered all over the interior and in the snow surrounding the vehicle.

WITNESSES SAY TEENS BRAGGED IN DAYS AFTER THE KILLING

Hours after the murder, the court heard the two teens met a high-school friend at a gas station where they bragged about beating up Enns and showed their friend the man's car keys, vaccination card and driver's licence.

The day after the murder, Koffman told the court the two teens went to the Polo Park shopping centre in Winnipeg where they used Enns' credit card to buy popcorn and a new pair of shoes – the same shoes the girl was wearing when she was arrested.

"On the day just prior to the murder, via Instagram text message, (the boy) had tried to recruit his high school friend… to assist in jumping a 'pedo.' He offered to pay $300 but (the friend) declined to participate," Koffman said while reading the statement of facts.

She said the boy called his friend the next day.

"He was laughing a lot, like he was happy with it, and said there was absolutely no way he was going to get caught because he was smart with it," Koffman said, adding they told another friend of the assault on Enns who they said had begged for his life.

Court heard days later, the girl texted her friend about what had happened.

"(The friend) tells her she did not have to kill him for that – being a pedophile is what she was referring to – and she tells him, 'Yes I did,'" Koffman told the court.

The two teens were arrested in the early days of March 2022, and have remained in custody since. Both were charged with second-degree murder and robbery, though the Crown told the court Monday that it has entered a stay of proceedings for the robbery charges.

When asked by Justice Victor Toews if they understood the plea they were entering, which meant they would be waiving their right to a trial, both teens confirmed they did.

As sheriffs led the girl down the hallway of the courthouse, her feet and hands shackled, she looked over her shoulder to her mother and grandmother who stood to the side.

"I love you, I'll call you," she told them.

The Crown has said it will be seeking an adult sentence for both the teens. If the court agrees, an adult sentence for second-degree murder carries with it a life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 to 25 years.

A date for sentencing has not yet been set.