Erickson man, 21, pleads guilty to attempted murder in brutal attack on pregnant woman

A 21-year-old man pleaded guilty to attempted murder on Monday, admitting he repeatedly stabbed and cut a pregnant woman’s throat during a random 2023 home invasion in Erickson.

Carter Prince, who was 18 at the time of the attack, said he was too intoxicated with alcohol to remember violently assaulting Candace McMunn (formerly Richardson) while she was asleep in her basement.

An agreed statement of facts obtained by the Sun said the 30-year-old woman awoke to the accused crawling into bed with her early in the morning on June 6, 2023.

McMunn tried to grab a knife from the teen, who she had never met, as he hit her head 20 to 30 times and stabbed her.

“The victim threw the accused off her, and the struggle continued as she fell into the TV and then fell to the floor, hitting her head,” said the document, which was read aloud in Brandon Court of King’s Bench.

“The victim momentarily lost consciousness and woke up to the accused on top of her, cutting her throat with a knife.”

McMunn, who’s now 34, pushed her right thumb into one of Prince’s eyes before he stopped assaulting her and fled the scene. She was unable to find her phone in the room and ran outside to get help from her neighbours.

McMunn was five weeks pregnant and suffered multiple cuts and lacerations on her head, face, hands, chest, neck and legs, the document said.

“She had a notable slash across the neck that police observed to be stitched when they interviewed her,” it said.

Her left hand was very swollen, and she had an open stab wound that went through her left forearm.

The tip of a butterfly knife used in the attack had broken off in McMunn’s skull and was later recovered. The knife belonged to Prince’s friend and had disappeared months before the attack.

McMunn spoke to the Winnipeg Free Press from a hospital bed more than a week after the assault, saying she almost gave up while she tried fighting off the intruder, but the love for her unborn child gave her the strength to survive.

Court heard Prince had at least one injury — a cut to his pinky finger — that left a trail of blood out of the home.

The statement said Prince went to school following the assault and was observed having a deep cut on his finger by multiple people.

“He was told it would need stitching, but he did not want medical attention for it,” the document said, adding that he later relented and was taken to a doctor.

Prince claimed the wound was from a skateboard accident.

That evening, he was invited to his friend’s barbecue function. Court heard Prince had previously placed the knife on the backyard firepit and it was found during the gathering by the friend’s sibling, who gave it to their mother.

The mother called police as the knife was bloodied and had strands of hair caught in it. The next morning, on June 7, a black hoodie with blood-like stains was found under the friend’s deck and was handed over to police.

Wasagaming RCMP arrested him that day.

Prince and McMunn’s DNA were found on the knife, hoodie and a T-shirt worn by the accused during the attack. His DNA was also linked to bloodstains on McMunn’s garage floor.

His two-week trial was initially scheduled in Brandon for the end of October, but it has now been cancelled.

Justice Elliot Leven ordered a Gladue and pre-sentence report be completed before the defence and Crown give their sentencing submissions on Oct. 29.

Crown attorneys Rich Lonstrup and Jeannelle Allard stayed the charge of break and enter to commit an indictable offence.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com