Inquiry Hears Killer Had Difficult Transition in Calgary Caseworker Death

A hearing looked into a Calgary caseworker’s death. The worker was stabbed five years ago, and the killer often left his care home before the attack.

Brandon Newman admitted to murdering Deborah Onwu in 2019, stabbing her 19 times. In 2021, Newman received a life sentence with no parole eligibility for 14 years. Onwu worked with Newman at Wood’s Homes, a mental health center in Calgary.

Inquiries explore death details and suggest ways to prevent future deaths. A Wood’s Homes manager, Daina Havens, testified that Newman had seven staff initially, with two people always with him. Havens described him as nice but mentally young.

Newman struggled going from youth to adult care at 18. He often left the facility, once disappearing for three weeks. Although he was there for 64 days, he was gone for 79 days.

The team supporting Newman was reduced to just one staff member. Havens said too much supervision bothered Newman and made him aggressive. Reducing supervision helped his mood, but she admitted, “Our treatment was failing.”

Newman seemed high at a transit station the night of the attack. Onwu covered a shift for a friend and noticed Newman missed his 11 p.m. curfew.

He returned after 2 a.m., and a staff member soon heard a fight in the unit. Onwu died from blood loss after being stabbed many times to her head, face, neck, chest, and ankle.