Sudbury man gets life sentence for violent attack on woman and her baby
The man who pleaded guilty to a vicious 2019 knife attack on a Sudbury woman and her baby has been sentenced to life in prison.
Alexander Stavropoulos, 28, has been sentenced to life in prison for the random attack that happened in a busy box store parking lot on Marcus Drive in early June 2019.
In a Sudbury court on Wednesday, Justice Karen Lische recounted the facts in the case saying on the day of the attack Stavropoulos took a bus from his apartment to get a coffee, then made his way to Home Depot and purchased a pack of four utility knives. It was stated that he was looking for larger knives but he took what they had. He discarded two of the knives in the parking lot and kept the other two.
Stavropoulos waited hours for the "right little white girl" to kill, Lische said, and when he saw a baby in a stroller, with her mother and three-year-old sister, he knew she was "the one."
It was also said that Stavropoulos knew he had to kill the baby’s mother first so that he could execute his plan to kill the young child.
He targeted these strangers because of their gender, Caucasian race, and the youngest child because of her age, Lische said.
At the sentencing hearing, the court heard that the mother Stavropoulos attacked is permanently disabled now, after being stabbed several times in the attack more than two years ago.
Lische said the first stab was to the back of the woman's neck before she was repeatedly stabbed in the neck and head.
There was a significant injury to the mother, who nearly died, Lische said.
The court also heard the attacker had tried to stab the women’s 8-month-old baby and punched at the stroller five to six times.
"His motivation, in whole or part, was hatred of white females as he felt rejected by them," Lische said.
"Although the nature of the attack was unprovoked and random, it was focused on Alexander Stavropoulos' clear intent to kill a young white girl."
She said the lives of the "heroic bystanders" -- who helped save two people that day – are forever traumatized by the events. One of the people who "helped save the mother's life" was a family medicine resident who worked in the emergency room at Health Sciences North.
Stavropoulos has been in jail since the stabbing took place.
He will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years in prison.
The 2019 incident was not his first violent attack in Sudbury. Stavropolous served 99 days in jail for another knife attack at the Sudbury transit terminal on April 1, 2018. He was on probation at the time of the second attack.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.