Peter Toonoo found not guilty in Iqaluit manslaughter

Peter Toonoo is not guilty of manslaughter, as the Crown could not disprove other “plausible theories” for the “violent assault” that led to Jimmy Kownirk’s death, a judge concluded Tuesday.

Toonoo, 40, was arrested on the night of June 6, 2024, after Kownirk was found in his downtown Iqaluit apartment with what police called “severe injuries” that required him to be medevaced to Ottawa. He died a few weeks later, in July.

RCMP initially charged Toonoo with second-degree murder. But on April 30, Crown prosecutor Philippe Plourde downgraded the charge to manslaughter.

Over a five-day trial in Iqaluit earlier in May, the court heard from multiple witnesses who “painted a picture of the night’s violent events,” Justice Mark Mossey said.

He noted, however, that there had been “material inconsistencies” in witness testimonies.

On May 11, Kownirk’s niece Minnie Saqiqtaq testified she went to her uncle’s apartment on June 5, 2024, with a few cans of beer.

While Kownirk slept in his bedroom, Saqiqtaq and the three Toonoos — Iliya, Siuqjju and Peter — drank in the living room, Saqiqtaq said.

Around 10 p.m., Saqiqtaq left the house as the Toonoos moved on to hard liquor, she testified. But shortly after, she received a message from her uncle’s neighbour, who told her there was a fight and her uncle was injured.

“From the evidence I heard at trial, I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Jimmy Kownirk suffered a brutally violent assault on June 5, 2024, inside his apartment,” Mossey said.

But Mossey had “serious concerns” about the testimony of Siuqjju Toonoo, who he said might have been trying to “deflect blame or minimize her own possible participation.”

Both Siuqjju Toonoo and Iliya Toonoo were the RCMP’s initial suspects, but the police ruled out both of them, which left Peter Toonoo as the only one who faced charges.

Because of Iliya Toonoo’s level of intoxication on that night, it’s unlikely she would have been able to commit the assault, but there is a “possibility” Siuqjju Toonoo could have, Mossey said.

“The Crown was unable to exclude the reasonable possibility that the assault of Mr. Kownirk was carried out by Siuqjju Toonoo,” Mossey said.