Woman, 42, sentenced to 8 years in prison for death of Falin Johnston
A 42-year-old Winnipeg woman was sentenced to 8 years in prison for killing 28-year-old Falin Johnston.
On Oct. 8, Rebecca Marina Flett pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Johnston, after a violent altercation that happened last year.
Court heard on June 23, 2023, Flett attacked Johnston outside of Salvation Army.
Flett “approached Ms. Johnston from behind and struck her numerous times about the head and body,” provincial court Judge Dale Harvey told the court at a sentencing hearing Oct. 8.
“One person from a group of several individuals standing by intervened to break up the incident.”
Ten minutes later, Flett attacked Johnston again, knocked her to the ground, kicked and punched her, court heard. An hour after that, Flett attacked Johnston a third time, punched her in the face and knocked her to the ground.
“This blow was delivered with enough force to cause her to fall backward where the left side of her head struck the curb of the sidewalk, this effectively was the fatal blow,” said Harvey.
Court heard that Johnston remained motionless for a while before being helped to her room in Salvation Army. Paramedics attempted to give her medical aid, but she refused.
The next morning Johnston was found unresponsive in her room, having died from her injuries. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, and Flett was arrested in July 2023.
“What stands out in these events is her persistence in confronting Ms. Johnston. She had several opportunities to leave and end the situation, but repeatedly returned to continue the physical attacks,” Harvey told the court.
In 2022, CBC did a story that highlighted the challenges of women experiencing homelessness, and spoke with Johnston a year before her death. She was living in Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope, after some health issues left her with no place to live.
She had plans to move into her own place and go back to school for social work.
“The sentence I impose is not a reflection of the value of Ms. Johnston’s life, or the deep sadness experienced by her family in losing her,” said Harvey.
“The sentence cannot repair the harm done to the victim or her family. What Ms. Flett has done cannot be undone, either by her or through this sentence imposed.”
A Gladue report was taken into consideration during Flett’s sentencing. Court heard Flett grew up in the foster system, and was the victim of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
At the time of her arrest, she had two outstanding warrants for assault causing bodily harm.
Harvey said as a part of her sentence, Flett will have a lifetime weapons ban, and has to provide a DNA sample for the national data bank. Time already served by Flett will be subtracted from her sentence.
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