Court hears Regina man convicted in 2006 slaying at bush party was violent, angry

REGINA – A man found guilty of killing a teen nearly 20 years ago at a nighttime campground party was prone to violence from his teens into adulthood, a sentencing hearing heard Thursday.

Court heard the 37-year-old Regina man, who was 17 at the time of Misha Pavelick’s slaying, had multiple run-ins with police, including an alcohol-fueled attack at a different party months after Pavelick was stabbed in the heart. 

Prosecutor Adam Breker told Justice Catherine Dawson at the hearing the offender shoved a guard during his arrest in 2023 for Pavelick’s murder, and that he continued to run afoul of the law and acted out violently.

“We believe his actions do not have the hallmarks of an immature youth,” Breker said.

The man cannot be identified because he was a young person at the time of the killing. 

A jury convicted him of second-degree murder in November after Pavelick, 19, was killed in May 2006 at the bush party near Regina Beach, northwest of Regina.

The Crown is seeking an adult sentence, which carries a life sentence with parole eligibility after 10 years. The defence argues he should be sentenced as a youth.

During the four-week trial last year, court heard there was no clear definitive proof as to what happened that fateful night of partying and drinking and many witnesses told court their memories of what happened were clouded by the passage of time. 

The Crown had argued the accused had access to a knife, and he and others made statements that were enough to convict. He also seemed distraught when he learned Pavelick died. 

The defence had said the confused, conflicting and potentially self-serving statements of the witnesses did not add up to a life-altering guilty verdict.

Dawson told court Thursday she’s reserving her sentencing decision. The offender is scheduled to appear again on May 26.

She asked if he had anything to say. 

“No, thanks,” he told the judge from the prisoner’s box.

Breker argued during the sentencing hearing that the man’s natural tendency to lash out throughout his life is evidence his maturity never changed. 

“It is a reflection of his fully formed self,” he said. “Unfortunately, he could not stop committing offences.”

Breker cited past court proceedings involving the offender, where he was described as a good kid who excelled in sports but needed anger management. 

“This was not a reflection of an underprivileged, youthful, immature kid,” Breker said.

Defence lawyer Andrew Hitchcock argued his client was immature at the time of the slaying.

Hitchcock also cited a psychologist who found his client to be a “low level functioning person.” 

“He still functions in some ways below the level of a 16-year-old,” he said. 

Hitchcock said his client is also Métis but has never emphasized that part of his heritage. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2026.