Warning: Story contains graphic details related to a murder and is not suitable for all readers.

A Nanaimo woman who killed her ex-boyfriend by hitting him with a hammer and slashing his throat while he slept has been found guilty of a lesser charge of second-degree murder.

Paris Jayanne Laroche, 28 when her trial started in January, was arrested in March 2022 and charged with first-degree murder and interfering with human remains as part of the case involving Sidney Joseph Mantee, 33, who was reported missing in October 2020. The murder was committed on March 5, 2020.

Laroche pleaded not guilty to both counts, with Glen Orris and Robyn Young, co-defence counsel suggesting the killing was manslaughter. Nick Barber and Sabrina Avery were co-Crown counsel.

Justice Robin Baird rendered his decision Friday, July 19, in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, finding her guilty of second-degree murder and interfering with the victim's remains. The threshold for first-degree murder had not been met, as the judge was not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was planned and deliberate.

According to evidence during trial, after the hammer strikes failed to kill Mantee, Laroche used a knife to cut his throat. She used a saw to cut up his body and stored the parts in her refrigerator and freezer. Over the span of six months, she disposed of the remains at bodies of water across the city, including Pipers Lagoon and Neck Point Park.

Mantee abused Laroche, including choking her until she was unconscious, the trial found. He instilled fear, suggesting he had gang affiliations, even though police said he didn't have a criminal record. Laroche had had enough after Mantee allegedly abused her cat.

It was revealed at trial that Laroche was infatuated with witchcraft and believed herself to be Wiccan. The sound of an owl hooting as she got ready for work early on the morning of the incident prompted her to kill Mantee, as she saw it as a sign.

The judge acknowledged there were aspects of the case that would suggest first-degree murder, including with way Laroche dismembered and disposed of Mantee's body, but Laroche had stated she placed the hammer and knife in areas of the apartment to defend herself against Mantee's outbursts. The judge said Laroche was getting ready for work before hearing the owl, and so her actions were spontaneous as opposed to deliberate.

The notion of self-defence was also dispelled by the judge. While he accepted Laroche was in an abusive relationship, Mantee was asleep at the time of the killing and not poised to harm her imminently. She used the hammer as an offensive tool, as opposed to defensive. It was revenge likely for the numerous transgressions Mantee had committed against her, the judge said, and not about self-preservation or protection.

After being alerted to Mantee's murder and his abuse of Laroche by one of her friends in April 2021, Nanaimo RCMP initiated an undercover investigation, with officers posing as relatives of another woman Mantee had supposedly abused and Laroche confessed to the crime.

During the trial, Amy Fitzgerald, a sociology and criminology professor at the University of Windsor, testified on behalf of the defence and suggested Laroche could have been suffering from battered spouse syndrome. During closing arguments, Orris had stated that pets can provide comfort to abuse victims and Mantee's animal cruelty aggravated the situation. 

In closing arguments, Barber noted that Laroche continued living in the apartment with Mantee's remains in the fridge, and without any symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Crown counsel requested a pre-sentence report and psychological risk assessment and details about the next steps are expected to be made on Wednesday, July 24.

The trial began Jan. 22 in Vancouver, as no suitable facilities were available to house Laroche in Nanaimo, although Baird did say facilities at the correctional facility in Nanaimo have now been upgraded to accommodate women.

– files from Chris Bush