Clayton Berard, already convicted in one shocking act of violence, now faces a second reckoning. Months after admitting to the manslaughter of a fellow inmate, a court has found him guilty of manslaughter and aggravated assault stemming from a pair of brutal, seemingly random stabbings in Edmonton’s heart of hardship in 2019.
The attacks unfolded with chilling swiftness. Ida Rosalie Knife was found bleeding profusely in the parking lot of a detox facility, the victim of eleven vicious stab wounds to her head and neck. Hours later, Albert Stevens was attacked nearby, his jugular and carotid arteries severed – a horrific assault that required emergency surgery and ultimately, claimed his life two years later.
Security footage captured a haunting image: a figure clad in a green and blue jacket, jeans with a stark white stripe, relentlessly attacking Knife before calmly walking away. The attacker remained unknown for a time, but evidence soon began to connect the figure to Berard.
Investigators discovered Knife’s DNA on Berard’s jeans. Further investigation revealed he’d checked into the facility under an assumed name shortly before the attack, a photograph confirming his presence and attire matched the assailant seen on camera. Stevens’ DNA was also found on a knife seized from Berard, though the murder weapon remained elusive.
The question of intent became central to the case. Was Berard capable of forming the deliberate thought required for a murder conviction? The court heard he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2013, alongside struggles with substance abuse and antisocial personality disorders. His mental state at the time of the attacks was intensely scrutinized.
The prosecution argued the sheer brutality of the attacks – the “ferocious” nature of the stabbing – demonstrated a clear intent to kill. Yet, a forensic psychiatrist testified that Berard was likely experiencing “active psychosis” at the time, a state where reality itself can become distorted. This psychosis, the psychiatrist explained, could be exacerbated by basic needs like hunger and exhaustion – Berard hadn’t eaten in two days when arrested.
While police noted Berard appeared twitchy and possibly intoxicated, they also observed he could follow commands. The psychiatrist countered that psychotic symptoms often fluctuate, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. This uncertainty created reasonable doubt in the judge’s mind regarding Berard’s capacity for premeditation.
The judge distinguished Berard’s case from other high-profile Edmonton killings involving psychosis, noting those perpetrators had articulated their intent after the fact. Berard remained silent. Furthermore, his actions after the attack on Knife – remaining at the scene, not changing clothes – seemed incongruous with someone consciously aware of committing murder.
This latest conviction follows Berard’s earlier guilty plea to manslaughter in the death of Bruce Donald Windsor, strangled in their shared jail cell after Berard discovered Windsor’s past. Driven to violence by a newspaper article detailing a child sex abuse case, Berard took the law into his own hands with devastating consequences. Sentencing dates for both the Windsor case and the attacks on Knife and Stevens are pending.
