Resolute Bay woman sentenced to two and a half years for death of abusive partner

Alicia Manik pleaded guilty to manslaughter after Pond Inlet stabbing, did not raise self-defence

A contempt of court hearing for an Iqaluit RCMP officer will be scheduled for a new date on Aug. 29 and may also scrutinize the actions of a Crown lawyer. (File photo)

By Mélanie Ritchot

A Resolute Bay woman has received a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence and three years of probation for fatally stabbing her boyfriend while he attacked her in his Pond Inlet home in 2018.

Taking into account her time already served in custody since her arrest, Alicia Manik has already completed her sentence for the manslaughter of Stephan Enoogoo.

Judge Bonnie Tulloch of the Nunavut Court of Justice said in her written sentence, dated Jan. 7, that the circumstances of Enoogoo’s death may have supported Manik pleading not guilty and making the case she acted in self-defence.

According to the agreed statement of facts, the stabbing occurred after Enoogoo repeatedly punched Manik in the head, threatened her with a knife and prevented her from leaving the house where the pair had been drinking.

But Manik chose from the beginning to plead guilty, which Tulloch took into account as a mitigating circumstance in her sentence.

“She has saved the witnesses, the community, and Stephan’s family from the difficult and painful experience of having to testify in court,” said Tulloch.

According to the judgment, on Nov. 8, 2018, a Pond Inlet man called the police after then-24-year-old Manik showed up at his house intoxicated, “frantically” requesting he call the police.

He said Manik was covered in blood, had large bumps on her head and was not wearing shoes or socks. Manik said she had stabbed Enoogoo because he was beating her up.

Police arrived and arrested her, initially charging her with aggravated assault.

Enoogoo was pronounced dead that night and Manik was re-arrested and charged with  second-degree murder.

The victim’s father told the court that Manik and Enoogoo had been dating for about a month and had been living together because Manik was homeless.

Manik told police the two had been drinking and having a good time when he suddenly “snapped” and started punching her in the head. He also pinned her down, blocked her from leaving the house and threatened her with a knife, saying, “you want me to kill you now?”

She said she feared for her life when Enoogoo grabbed the knife.

Tulloch noted that Manik took full responsibility for Enoogoo’s death by pleading guilty, and that she has no previous criminal record.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Alicia is very sorry and remorseful for what happened that fateful night,” said Tulloch.

In a statement Dec. 8, Manik addressed Enoogoo’s family, saying her actions caused families to lose a brother, son and a friend, and that if it were not for her drinking, Enoogoo would be alive.

While incarcerated, Manik got support for her addiction and said her goal is to stop drinking and to stay out of trouble.

In sentencing, Tulloch also took into account Manik’s traumatic past. It includes multiple sexual assaults, including repeat incidents as a young child, and multiple abusive relationships.

Manik has also struggled with mental health issues that have not been properly addressed, Tulloch said. Manik told the court she has attempted suicide “too many times to count.”

Tulloch sentenced Manik to 900 days in jail and three years of probation.

Manik had already spent 678 days in jail at the time of sentencing and received 1.5 days of credit for each day served, meaning 1,017 days were considered served.

Her probation conditions include getting help for her alcoholism and drug addiction. She is also to attend counselling and get other mental health supports. A firearm prohibition was also imposed.

“You can never make up for what happened to Stephan at your hand, but you can keep his memory alive to act as a very strong incentive to change,” Tulloch told Manik.

An earlier version of this story included incorrect information. Alicia Malik is from Resolute Bay, not Pond Inlet.

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(9) Comments:

  1. Posted by Qavvigarjuk on

    This is very sad and confusing, it seems to me that she was defending herself from a boyfriend that was threatening her life…. This does not make any sense at all..

    • Posted by jesan on

      cant say i would have done different. Fear for my life and protect my life! escape and attack are the only 2 options, am i right? cant diffuse a drunk, even if drunk yourself. people have the right to protect their life.

      Too many people need to learn that they dont owe their bodies to anyone!

  2. Posted by UNGAVA on

    I v seen that a lot, people are having a good time and someone just snapps

  3. Posted by Why? on

    Why is she in jail? It was her or him.

  4. Posted by nallina on

    I cannot pass judgement on her actions. We do not know what it would be like in that situation and how we would react.
    I can only imagine the guilt she feels for taking a life. She plead guilty and didnt even attempt to defend her actions. This is remorse. I hope she gets the help she needs.

  5. Posted by Rehabilitation on

    This woman needs rehabilitation and counselling not prison time. She acted in self defense and clearly has a traumatic past which has lead to her substance abuse.

  6. Posted by Crystal Clarity on

    She chose to plead guilty as it clearly says. That was her decision although she could have pleaded not guilty by reason of self-defence and probably would have gotten a much reduced sentence at least. It is unfortunate that he ended up dying but a little part of me derives some satisfaction in the fact that she was able to stand up for herself and not become a victim as so many of our women can attest to and so many others who cannot because they are dead from the assaults of abusive partners.

  7. Posted by Tulugaq on

    Justice Tulloch is right, this is a case where no prosecution should have taken place. In the Lavallee case, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the battered women syndrome even where the deceased is not assaulting the accused but has been terrorizing her for a long time. That, added to the obvious self defence situation, should have been part of the Crown’s analysis of the matter, not only on the factor whether there was a reasonable prospect of conviction (which in this case seemed iffy) but also on the public interest factor, where the Crown must ask itself whether a prosecution is necessary in such circumstances. This case leaves the impression that an innocent woman was convicted and jailed even though she had served most of her time in pre trial custody (which is strange given that in the Canadian legal system people should only be jailed pre trial in exceptional circumstances).

  8. Posted by Colin on

    The sentence, as such, appears to be of little consequence given that Manik was eligible for immediate release after the trial. The -shocking thing is that it took almost two years to go to trial when the facts of the case were obvious and there was a guilty plea. The handling of this case, like so many, brings the administration of justice into disrepute.

    Charlotte Gray relates in her book The Massey Murder how the system worked in bygone times. Carrie Davies was arrested on Monday February 8, 1915 right after shooting Bert Massey, a member of the prominent family. She went to trial before a jury on Friday February 28, asserting the defence of unsolicited sexual advances and self-defence. The next day the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. It took less than three weeks from the killing to the verdict.

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