Devon Wynne sentenced to life, no parole for 10 years for ‘violent, unprovoked’ murder of Jayko Partridge

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Devon Wynne was sentenced to life in prison last week with no chance of parole for 10 years for the “violent and unprovoked” murder of Jayko Partridge in Vanier in January 2022.

Partridge, 40, was from Apex, Iqaluit and had recently moved to Ottawa. The motivation for his killing was not made clear at Wynne’s second-degree murder trial, which concluded with the jury’s guilty verdict in October.

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According to a summary of the facts, Partridge was asleep on the floor of his friend’s apartment at 251 Hannah Street around 6 a.m. on January 22, 2022 when Wynne entered the apartment and was immediately told to leave.

Wynne then quickly stabbed Partridge seven times, including four blows to the head. Partridge staggered outside, bleeding profusely.

He managed to make it as far as the Ottawa Inn on Montreal Road, about half a block down the street —  the only building with its lights on in the early morning hours.

“Jayko Partridge was young, he was Indigenous, and he did nothing to Mr. Wynne to provoke this attack,” said Superior Court Justice Adriana Doyle in her sentencing decision on May 15.

“The last moments of his life must have been agonizing for him as he walked in the snow bleeding onto the ground trying to seek help. He knocked at the motel down the street for a while screaming that it was cold and that he was hurt. Eventually he was allowed into the motel and out of the cold,” Doyle said in her summary of the facts.

“The first responders attended to him but it was too late. Mr. Partridge succumbed to his injuries and passed away that day.”

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Hotel manager Mathieu Mault called it “a terrible tragedy” when reached for comment at the time.

“The stabbing did not happen at the Ottawa Inn. It just so happened that we were the only place open at that time, so our staff took action and allowed the victim and first responders to use our lobby to shelter from the cold.”Wynne, 30, was arrested three days later by officers with the Ottawa Police Service neighbourhood resource teams and members of the homicide unit.

A second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with a period of parole ineligibility that rangers form 10 to 25 years.

Crown attorneys Julian Daller and Dave Rodgers had sought a 13-year period of parole ineligibility, while Wynne’s defence lawyers, Joe Addelman and Samantha Robinson, countered with the minimum 10 years.

Nine of the twelve jurors recommended the same 10-year minimum period.

The jury was not aware of Wynne’s lengthy criminal history, the judge noted, when they rendered their verdict and made their sentencing recommendations.

Wynne was on probation at the time of Partridge’s killing and has an extensive criminal record that includes violence against women and an assault causing bodily harm, along with a history of non-compliance with court orders.

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He was charged with assaulting a Gatineau woman in November 2018 and was sentenced to 12 months of probation following his guilty plea.

Wynne has had other “misconduct issues” while imprisoned on the murder charge, Doyle said, including an outstanding assault charge that has yet to be resolved in court. He was also handed a lifetime weapons ban.

Wynne is Indigenous, and an extensive Gladue report was prepared prior to his sentencing. A Gladue report considers an Indigenous offender’s cultural background and personal and family trauma in rendering an appropriate sentence.

Wynne’s report “highlights the impact of colonialism on Mr. Wynne and his family. The legacy of the residential schools has a direct link to Mr. Wynne’s actions and specifically to his actions on Jan 2022,” the judge noted.

Doyle said Wynne will benefit from specific programs for Indigenous offenders in the federal penitentiary system.

“The circumstances of the case show a senseless and purposeless killing of an innocent man,” Doyle said.

“There is available counselling and treatment programs that are culturally sensitive that Mr. Wynne has expressed an interest in pursuing while serving his life sentence. I acknowledge that he has issues and wants to get better.”

ahelmer@postmedia.com

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