CALGARY – A series of emotional victim impact statements highlighting the important role Ethan Enns-Goneau had in Banff and the tragedy felt by the community since his murder in 2022 were read in court during the sentencing of John Arrizza.
More than two dozen friends, family and community members spoke on Monday (April 14) at Calgary Court of King’s Bench about the legacy Enns-Goneau had during his life.
Enns-Goneau’s girlfriend of three years, Lori Pieters, said his death was the “worst day of her life” and “the worst pain [I’ve] ever experienced.”
“I did not only lose the love of my life that night. I lost my best friend. My confidant. My teammate. He taught me the meaning of true love,” her statement, read by the Crown attorney Ron Simenik, said. “The kind of love that is worth fighting for.”
The two had recently moved in with one another, but Arrizza’s actions had caused her “whole world [to be] turned upside down.”
“Every hope, every dream, every plan, every goal you had for a life with this person is ripped from your hands. How do you begin to articulate that?,” she wrote in her statement.
Pieters’ statement finished by saying Enns-Goneau would’ve likely been the first person to forgive Arrizza, but his actions have caused enormous heartache for not only friends and family but all of Banff.
“Our tight-knit community … has been forever tainted by this,” her statement read.
Enns-Goneau’s mother, Gloria Enns, told Justice Robert Hall her son had a smile “that lit up the room,” and she didn’t appreciate his full kindness until hearing from many people who had several stories of Ethan helping them.
“I didn’t think I could be more proud of you than I already was, but they showed me how you outdid yourself time and time again.”
Enns told the court she misses her son every day and the last time she saw him was when she, Pieters, Enns-Goneau and Mark Goneau, Ethan’s father, went for breakfast. She said how proud she was of him and how happy he was with Pieters.
“I miss you so much every day. … It is so unfair. You are gone forever, but there’s no such timeline for the man who killed you. He will serve whatever time, but it will never be enough in my eyes.
“We all loved you so much, Ethan. You were such a bright light in the world. We’re all trying to carry your light forward.”
Enns-Goneau’s father, Mark Goneau, said Arrizza’s crime had broken their family and “there’s a hole in my chest where my heart used to be.”
He said he and Gloria were on the final day of vacation in Ontario when Pieters called them, having to explain the “senseless murder.”
“The impact of Ethan’s murder has been devastating. … Our lives have been turned upside down, our loss has been immeasurable. Forever I will miss my son Ethan,” he said.
Arrizza found guilty of second-degree murder
During the trial last September, the jury heard Arrizza, 25, stabbed Enns-Goneau at least 11 times inside and outside the men’s washroom at the Dancing Sasquatch on Banff Avenue.
At the trial, the court was told Enns-Goneau and his friend, Bobby Lavery, came to Dancing Sasquatch at about 1:30 a.m. the morning of Aug. 5. The two friends and co-workers at Melissa’s MisSteak, a popular Banff restaurant and bar, went to Dancing Sasquatch to end the night when Lavery went to the bar and Enns-Goneau to the bathroom.
Enns-Goneau was attacked and stabbed by Arrizza, which led to nightclub staff trying to save him. In his testimony, Lavery said he assisted, telling Enns-Goneau, “I love you, man. You’re gonna get through this.”
Paramedics took Enns-Goneau to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
During the trial, Arrizza’s lawyer Katherin Beyak didn’t argue he stabbed Enns-Goneau. She said Arrizza was too intoxicated on both alcohol and drugs to have an intent for second-degree murder. She argued for a manslaughter conviction.
Arrizza had four to five times the legal blood alcohol content and had traces of cocaine in his system.
A jury ultimately took less than 24 hours to convict Arrizza.
Arrizza’s roommate Zachary Laivovitz testified he and his housemates found a bloody pentagram drawn on the wall of their home by Arrizza shortly before Enns-Goneau’s murder.
As part of the evidence, the jury saw video of Arrizza shortly after being taken into police custody and in the back of an RCMP vehicle. He asked Cpl. Sheldon Silveira if Enns-Goneau was alive and when told he was “not doing well,” said, “I feel bad, but not really.”
Crown, defence seek no parole for 12 years, life sentence
Crown attorney Patrick Bigg asked Hall to consider the evidence and victim impact statements when sentencing Arrizza.
Both the Crown and defence agreed Arrizza should not be eligible for parole for 12 years and that his crime will come with a mandatory life-term in prison, a mandatory DNA order and a mandatory lifelong firearms prohibition.
Bigg said “there was a significant amount of gratuitous violence” from Arrizza on Enns-Goneau and it “was simply an attack on a vulnerable individual.”
Bigg pointed to the numerous victim impact statements read to Hall, highlighting the role Enns-Goneau had on many people’s lives in Banff.
“This crime was a senseless killing of a promising young man who was 26 and had his whole life in front of him,” he said
“We heard in the victim impact statements showing the heartache and loss of Ethan, who was a partner, a brother, a son, a friend. There’s no doubt he is missed.”
Bigg noted that Arrizza had a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Arrizza had sought help in 2017 and 2018 as well as a one-night detox in April 2022, but he continued to use both drugs and alcohol.
Bigg, however, added, Arrizza had a high degree of morale culpability and “needs to be held accountable with a proportional sentence.”
Beyak, Arrizza’s defence counsel, said he had no criminal record and before being exposed to drugs and alcohol was a strong student in school and involved in many extracurriculars, but struggled with addiction.
She said Arrizza’s attack on Enns-Goneau lasted about 17 seconds and this was a case of how “quickly things can go bad and mistakes can be made and the consequences can be devastating.”
“This is not a situation where someone simply had one too many beers and this is a situation where Arrizza was significantly intoxicated,” she said, who without his addictions, it was unlikely Enns-Goneau murder would’ve happened.
Beyak said Arrizza understood he would be going to jail for a “significant amount of time” since the outset, with the defence never seeking an acquittal, but until he’s able to enter programming to help with his addictions he can’t receive proper help in the Calgary Remand Centre.
“It was a snap decision that ruined a number of lives,” she said.
‘This is 100 per cent my fault’
In a statement to the court, Arrizza apologized to Enns-Goneau’s family, friends and anyone impacted by his murder.
He said he regrets every day his actions that led to Enns-Goneau’s death which “caused so much pain to so many people.”
“Nothing I can ever do the rest of my life can ever make up for the horrible thing I did to Ethan,” Arrizza said to the court.
“I’m so sorry to everyone who loved Ethan and to everyone who came to speak today. I want you to know I listened to every word and taken every emotion to heart.”
He said he grew up in a loving home, but felt “ostracized and alone,” and his life had no meaning. He went from being an honour roll student to using heavier drugs by 16 and barely passing his classes. Arrizza said his parents did everything to help, but he was ultimately to blame for his choices.
He said he came to Banff for a change of scenery and find himself, but started using drugs and alcohol more heavily and was “drunk virtually 24 hours a day.” He said he in the leadup to Enns-Goneau’s murder, he had spent several days drinking and doing drugs such as Xanax and meth.
“I did all this to myself. I’m not asking for sympathy for what I’ve done. Any sadness you have and I have is for Ethan, his family and any other victims of my crime,” he said, adding he would spend his time to make something positive of his life.
“This was 100 per cent my fault,” he said.
‘My brother was a good man’
Throughout the morning, victim impact statements were read to the court, highlighting the significant impact Enns-Goneau had on friends and family in the tight-knit community.
People spoke about his smile, kindness, the impact he had on everyone he encountered and his positive attitude that lit up any room he entered.
Many of the statements referred to him as Sweet Baby or Sweet Baby E – his nickname – and the continual kindness he showed everyone, whether they were lifelong friends or strangers.
Since his death, several people spoke about the struggles they had such as loss of trust, a wariness to be alone when walking in Banff, withdrawing from social events, managing depression and anxiety and having to switch jobs to avoid thoughts of the crime.
Enns-Goneau was only 26 when he died, but his impact on the mountain community has been long-lasting. The seven-day trial had family and friends attend in-person and virtually. Shortly after his murder, a packed Melissa’s MisSteak held a memorial service, showcasing how people remembered him.
Riley Enns-Goneau, Ethan’s brother, said in his statement he was “heartbroken, angry and horrified to a degree I never have been before and hope to never be again.”
His statement read that he would never be able to share with Ethan’s life achievements, which were taken by Arrizza’s actions in 2022.
“My brother was a good man … and he was taken from the world too soon by a man he didn’t know in a senseless act of violence. It isn’t fair Ethan had to pay for someone else’s choices. It isn’t fair to him or to any of us who knew him. Things will never be the same,” his statement read.
“He was an innocent person lost to a senseless act of violence.”
Court will return Tuesday (April 15) for Hall's final sentencing.
Resources are available for anyone needing urgent mental health support at Banff Mineral Springs Hospital on a walk-in basis from 2-9 p.m. daily. For a safe space to be heard, any time of day, call or text the Suicide Crisis Hotline at 9-8-8. For general mental health support, call or text 2-1-1.
- With files from Jessica Lee, Rocky Mountain Outlook
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