Conviction 'won’t bring my boy back' says mother of Banff murder victim

The man charged with fatally stabbing lifelong Banff resident Ethan Enns-Goneau in 2022 has been convicted of second-degree murder.

A 12-person jury reached the unanimous decision determining John-Christopher Arrizza’s guilt early afternoon Friday (Sept. 20) after sequestering Thursday afternoon for deliberations following a seven-day trial in Calgary Court of King’s Bench.

About 20 of Enns-Goneau’s family members in court attendance breathed a collective sigh of relief and quietly celebrated as the verdict was read.

“It won’t bring my boy back, but it’s something,” said Gloria Enns, Enns-Goneau’s mother.

“He was the sweetest, kindest person ever. He wasn’t perfect, but he was so awesome. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

Enns-Goneau was killed at Dancing Sasquatch in Banff on Aug. 5, 2022. The court heard he was stabbed at least 11 times by Arrizza both inside and outside the men’s washroom in the early morning hours.

Enns-Goneau was bar hopping with a friend and was attacked while using the washroom minutes after arriving at the Banff nightclub.

Upon exiting the courtroom, the Banff man’s family embraced each other in tearful hugs.

Brother Riley Enns-Goneau said hearing the outcome of the trial was a relief. He and several family members were at the Calgary Courts Centre at the start of every day’s proceedings.

“Obviously we got the verdict we wanted but more than anything I’m just glad it’s over,” he said.

Twenty-six people also tuned in via WebEx to hear the jury’s verdict, with many more tuning in throughout the trial – a testament to Enns-Goneau’s impact on the close-knit mountain town in his 26 years of life.

“Ethan lit a room up with his smile. He was always smiling. The only time you’d ever see him not smile was for three minutes was if the [Winnipeg] Jets or [Toronto] Raptors lost and every other time, he was happy-go-lucky,” Bunny Julius, owner of Melissa’s Missteak where Enns-Goneau worked for 13 years, told the Outlook in August 2022.

Arrizza’s defence counsel was seeking a lesser charge of manslaughter, arguing the accused’s state of mind was altered at the time of the offence due to days of drug and alcohol use, sleep deprivation and not eating in the days leading up to the murder.

One of Arrizza’s roommates at the time described his housemate’s behaviour in the week prior to the attack as difficult to deal with and like “babysitting a child.”

His conviction of second-degree murder carries a life sentence, or 25 years in prison, with a minimum 10 years served before chance of parole.

Sentencing arguments from both the Crown and defence will be presented before Justice Robert Hall at a future date. Twenty-five victim statements had also been submitted by the final day of the trial and will be read during upcoming proceedings.

The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.