ManitobaIn a written decision, Justice Elliot Leven said while the killing of Naomi Hope Williams was not accidental, Rennie Kristyna Williams did not have the intent required for a second-degree murder conviction. Judge says Rennie Kristyna Williams did not have intent required for 2nd-degree murder convictionChelsea Kemp · CBC News · Posted: Sep 03, 2025 3:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 hours agoAfter a trial in Brandon Court of King’s Bench, Rennie Kristyna Williams, 28, has been found guilty of manslaughter for killing her cousin, Naomi Hope Williams, 26. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)A Manitoba judge has found a woman guilty of manslaughter in the 2022 killing of her cousin.Rennie Kristyna Williams, 28, was charged with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of her cousin, Naomi Hope Williams, 26, after a drug- and alcohol-fuelled night on the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, about 40 kilometres west of Brandon.In a written decision issued on Tuesday, Justice Elliot Leven said while the killing was not accidental, Rennie did not have the intent required for a second-degree murder conviction, instead finding her guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. Leven, who presided over the Court of King’s Bench trial in Brandon, described Rennie’s behaviour the night of the stabbing as “profoundly irrational.” “I got the impression that her behaviour was irrational and her memory was badly impaired by drugs and alcohol (i.e. she was unreliable),” Leven wrote.’Not an innocent accident’In December 2022, Rennie and Naomi spent an evening drinking alcohol, using methamphetamine and smoking marijuana, Leven wrote. At one point, Rennie pulled out a knife and claimed she would use it if needed.Later, the cousins, who Leven described as friends, began arguing and fighting after insulting one another, including remarks about Rennie’s deceased brother. Things then escalated into a physical fight.They both had opportunities to leave, but instead kept fighting, he wrote.”Add a knife to this dangerous mix, and a stabbing happened,” Leven said in his decision. “It was not an innocent accident, and it was not self-defence. It was a profoundly irrational action by a person badly impaired by alcohol and drugs.”Self-defence not reasonableWhen Rennie took to the witness box during her trial in January, she testified of being “scared for her life” when she fatally stabbed Naomi, claiming she had been trying to de-escalate the situation.During closing arguments in May, Crown attorney Brett Rach argued Rennie’s testimony that she tried to de-escalate the situation was not credible, as no other witness supported her account. In his written decision, Leven found Rennie to be non-credible and unreliable as a witness.Defence lawyer Robert Harrison told the court in May his client acted in self-defence. He described Rennie as a peacemaker who wanted to prevent a fight with her cousin from escalating into violence.Leven wrote in his decision that based on the evidence provided and precedent from similar court cases, the argument of self-defence did not hold up.”There was only one weapon. How could the person holding the weapon have had a reasonable fear of the person not holding that weapon? In short, it is just not possible to characterize the stabbing itself as either reasonable or proportionate,” Leven wrote.A pre-sentence report and Gladue report — which explains an Indigenous person’s history, their family’s history and their community’s history to the courts, in order to take the individual’s unique circumstances and challenges into consideration — has been ordered before Rennie’s sentencing.She is expected to be back in court in October.ABOUT THE AUTHORChelsea Kemp is a multimedia journalist with CBC Manitoba. She is based in CBC’s bureau in Brandon, covering stories focused on rural Manitoba. Share your story ideas, tips and feedback with chelsea.kemp@cbc.ca.
Manitoba woman found guilty of manslaughter in December 2022 killing of cousin
