A court has been told an elderly Winnipeg woman was stabbed 68 times by a neighbour who was drunk and had stopped taking for medication for a psychological disorder.
Melissa Joyce Gabriel has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of 89-year-old Dorothy Dykens.
At a sentencing hearing Monday, the Crown noted that Gabriel, who is originally from Skownan First Nation in Manitoba, has a lengthy criminal record and a history of substance abuse.
The prosecutor also said Gabriel was extremely intoxicated despite a court order ordering her not to consume alcohol, adding she was going to kill whoever opened their door first.
Court was told that Gabriel, who has been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder, has violent outbursts and auditory hallucinations when she drinks.
Defence lawyers pointed out that Gabriel has been the victim of sexual assaults and was kicked in the head so hard in 2006 that her eye fell out of its socket.
Relatives said Gabriel changed after that incident.
The Crown asked for a 15-year sentence, while the defence asked for seven.
Gabriel was taken into custody after calling 911 herself. Officers found her inside her own home covered in blood and in an intoxicated state. She also stabbed her landlord's dog that night.
She will be sentenced on June 21.
(CJOB)
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