Kinngait man guilty of attempted murder, brother convicted of aggravated assault

Updated Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. ET

A Kinngait man was found guilty of attempted murder while his brother was convicted of aggravated assault in an incident nearly four years ago that left a woman with serious injuries.

Archie and Laimiki Toonoo, who were 30 and 23 at the time of the incident in October 2021, appeared in an Iqaluit courtroom Thursday to hear the verdicts.

Justice Christian Lyons found Laimiki Toonoo guilty of attempted murder and his brother Archie Toonoo guilty of aggravated assault.

Their trial started in Kinngait in February 2024 but after just a few days it was paused for nearly a year due to questions over evidence.

At their trial, witnesses testified that on a night in October 2021, the two men were drinking vodka with a woman. When it ran out, they tried to steal some from another house but were unsuccessful and went home.

Later, an argument broke out because Laimiki Toonoo thought the woman was hiding his medication. He started choking the woman, but Archie Toonoo pulled him off of her.

The woman passed out but was still breathing, Laimiki testified at trial. She was later medevaced to Iqaluit for treatment.

Both brothers previously pleaded not guilty to one charge each of attempted murder, but guilty to lesser charges for their role in the attack on the victim, who had to be medevaced to Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit to be treated for her injuries.

Crown prosecutor Abel Dion didn’t accept their pleas, however, and chose to continue the prosecution.

Lyons announced his verdicts without explanation. He said his written decision will be released before the two men return to court for sentencing on Nov. 18.

Note: This story was corrected to note Archie Toonoo was found guilty of aggravated assault but not guilty on a charge of attempted murder. Laimiki Toonoo was convicted on a charge of attempted murder. A previous version of this story contained incorrect information.