Alberta judge recommends improved information sharing after caseworker stabbing death

CALGARY – An Alberta judge says laws need changing to mandate information sharing after the death of a care worker who was stabbed 19 times by a teenage client.

Provincial court Judge Karim Zaher Jivraj, in a fatality inquiry report issued Thursday, says the full extent of Brandon Newman’s violent history was not shared among agencies when he was transferred to an assisted-living facility in Calgary, where he killed Deborah Onwu in 2019.

Newman pleaded guilty in 2021 to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing Onwu. He was given a life sentence with no parole for 14 years.

Fatality reports examine the circumstances of deaths with the aim of preventing future such tragedies.

This report concluded that Newman, then 18, had an “extensive history of violence dating back to his early years” when he was transferred to the Wood’s Homes Society.

But the full extent of his history wasn’t shared with the facility.

Before Onwu’s 2019 death, Newman had violently assaulted a staff member of a residential facility in Elk Island two years earlier, leaving the person with permanent injuries, the judge says.

Newman was later referred to Wood’s Homes Society, where Onwu worked, to be closer to family.

The inquiry heard that, with the case still winding its way through the courts, Wood’s Homes was given limited information about the assault and staff weren’t allowed to contact or speak to anyone at Elk Island.

“The only information the (Child and Family Services) shared with (Wood’s Homes) was that Brandon and another young person had been involved in an assault on a staff member,” Jivraj wrote.

During his time at Wood’s Homes, Newman had a history of leaving the facility for both short and extended periods of time.

The night of Onwu’s death, he returned to the facility after missing his 11 p.m. curfew and had reportedly been seen earlier at a shopping mall “high as a kite” on methamphetamine.

Onwu was filling in for a friend and working the night shift. Newman arrived after 2 a.m. A half-hour later, a staff member heard what sounded like a fight and found Onwu stabbed in the head, face, neck, chest and ankle. She died at the scene from blood loss.

Jivraj noted that many areas of concern, such as staff shortages and search protocols, had been addressed. But the lack of information sharing between agencies, he wrote, remained an outstanding concern.

The judge urged that the Alberta government change its Occupational Health and Safety legislation so agencies, when transferring high-risk youth or young adults from one facility to another, share information surrounding whether the youth has committed acts of violence, had threatened to do so, or currently “present a risk of committing violence.”

The judge also urged the province to change legislation to compel employers to make their staff aware of information on potentially violent clients. The inquiry found Onwu had access to written information on other violence concerns with Newman, but it wasn’t clear if she had read it.

Daniel Verrier, spokesperson for the ministry of Children and Family Services, wrote in a statement that the report has been received and the ministry is reviewing the recommendations to see whether policy changes are necessary.

Onwu was a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The union’s Alberta president, Raj Uppal, endorsed the proposed changes, saying more information and increased staffing can help prevent future tragedies.

“Deborah Onwu didn’t need to die that night,” Uppal says in a statement.

“If she had the full history of the client’s behaviour, if she had a co-worker, if there were other precautions taken, she might still be here.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2025.