'Unprovoked and senseless': Sentencing starts for man who robbed and killed a retired Prince Albert bus driver

On Wednesday, court heard sentencing arguments for a man who killed a retired Prince Albert bus driver during a robbery.

In March 2020, David Maxemiuk was returning home after visiting his sister Violet.

The 61-year-old was found unconscious on the ground near his garage a back alley in Prince Albert’s Midtown neighbourhood. He later died in hospital in Saskatoon.

Earlier this year, Kenny Morin, 22, was found guilty of manslaughter and robbery in connection to Maxemiuk's death.

Video surveillance shows the attack lasted only 25 seconds where Morin delivered eight to nine blows to Maxemiuk and then took his wallet and made no attempt to assist the victim.

Maxemiuk’s sister says it’s been difficult for her to come to grips with his death.

“It was unexpected. It wasn’t due to natural means,” Violet Maxemiuk told CTV News outside court on Wednesday.

She says he was a happy person who was looking forward to full retirement.

“I enjoyed his company, he was more than just a brother, he was a friend to me and he helped me a great deal. He’s going to sadly be missed by me and others,” she said.

The Crown has asked for the maximum sentence for manslaughter of 15 years, arguing the attack was “unprovoked and senseless”.

She said the two men were strangers and the interaction occurred for no apparent reason.

A police officer who attended the scene testified that he could not determine Maxemiuk’s ethnicity due to the bruising and swelling on his face.

Due to the severity of his injuries, he was transferred to a hospital in Saskatoon the day of the attack and died five days later.

Morin’s defence lawyer says an appropriate sentence for the crime would be six years and six months.

In a victim impact statement, his niece said Maxemiuk was kind and would often help the elderly and homeless.

After the sentencing arguments were made, Morin’s mother, Clara Morin addressed the court. She says she moved her family from Sandy Bay to Prince Albert in search of a better life and that she wished her son had received help while incarcerated in a provincial jail for previous offences.

"My son doesn’t have the counselling and the resources that he needs,” said Clara Morin.

She said her son used to help her do homecare and was a hard worker. She also apologized to the family for his actions.

“My condolences to the family. I never thought that this was going to happen to my children,” said Morin’s mother.

When given a chance to speak in court Morin addressed the family and said, “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

The Crown also referenced Morin’s prior convictions and stated that Morin committed the attack only a few months after being released from jail after serving a sentence for an assault conviction.

The case returns to Court of Queen’s Bench in Prince Albert on Aug. 2 when Justice G.A. Meschishnick is expected to sentence Morin.