WIIKWEMKOONG—A 25-year-old Wiikwemkoong man accused of stabbing another man on August 14, 2017 in his home community, and trying unsuccessfully to use the controversial bearwalker defence in court to explain his actions, was sentenced on November 7.
Levi Mishibinijima, who had fled the scene following the stabbing, was later found and charged with attempted murder; assault with a weapon; aggravated assault; uttering threats to cause death and possession of weapons for dangerous purpose.
In a previous article, it was noted that Mr. Mishibinijma claimed that he heard the voice of his dead father telling him that the victim had murdered him and that he should stab him in revenge.
Witnesses testified that they saw the accused run up behind the victim and stab him and say, “I know you killed my father.”
The accused told police that he was “getting a weird vibe” that was telling him to kill.
“I just thought it was like bear witch or bearwalker, bad vibes,” Mr. Mihsibinijima told police, according to court documents. “It was like kinda’ taking control of me.”
The bearwalker, in Anishinaabe belief, is an evil spirit called out of the wilderness by an evil person or witch to use “bad medicine” in order to inflict sickness, harm and even death upon others.
On Tuesday, February 13, a judge found Mr. Mishibinijima guilty of aggravated assault. The judge dismissed the accused’s mental health-related defence pleas as, she said, he was aware that what he was doing was wrong.
On November 7, Mr. Mishibinijima was found guilty on the charge of aggravated assault and was sentenced to 22 months in custody, with 23.5 months’ time-served and, finally, three years of probation.
