Warning: Contains graphic detail of a murder.
The man who stabbed another man to death at a downtown Nanaimo shopping centre last year will serve seven years behind bars, minus time served.
In December, Sean Carl John Patterson pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a January 2023 incident at the Port Place Shopping Centre parking lot. Serguei Chiliakhov died in hospital after being attacked with a knife.
Patterson was sentenced at B.C. Supreme Court in Nanaimo Wednesday, June 5 with a joint submission from Nick Barber, Crown counsel, and Kelly Bradshaw, Patterson鈥檚 legal representative. Patterson has been in custody since Feb. 1, 2023 and with time served, will be incarcerated for five more years.
Citing an agreed statement of facts, Barber said that Patterson, who had been drinking and was under the influence of methamphetamine on the evening of Jan. 22, 2023, walked from a downtown restaurant towards the mall near Nanaimo鈥檚 waterfront at approximately 6:51 p.m. He was denied entry to a casino adjacent to the mall and a guard described Patterson as aggressive and on edge. He then walked to a TD bank, where Chiliakhov was.
Chiliakhov, Barber noted, was in possession of various drugs and packaging consistent with drug trafficking. The two walked eastward, down a vehicle ramp towards the mall parking lot before disappearing from video. At 6:58 p.m., Chiliakhov is seen running towards London Drugs, having dropped his cellphone. A woman saw that Chiliakhov was holding his throat and was bleeding. 911 was called.
Barber said closed-circuit TV cameras captured incidents before and after on video, although not the actual incident.
First responders arrived and noticed deep lacerations on Chiliakhov鈥檚 throat. He was reassessed and found to be in cardiac arrest, placed on advanced life support and transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for treatment, where he was subsequently pronounced dead at 7:34 p.m.
An autopsy revealed Chiliakhov suffered from a deep wound on the front of his neck, 7 cm in length and 3 cm deep and there was massive blood loss.
During the investigation, which included video footage and witness interviews, police determined Patterson was a suspect. Police executed a search warrant on Patterson鈥檚 residence and vehicle on Feb. 1, 2023, and arrested him.
On the morning of Feb. 2, 2023, Patterson confessed, stating he did not plan to kill Chiliakhov. He had purchased a new knife and while walking asked Chiliakhov if he wanted to see the knife. Chiliakhov responded stating he did and that he would stab Patterson, at which time Chiliakhov was stabbed.
After the incident, he went home changed his clothes and went to a pub.
While the knife was discarded, RCMP was able to recover it Feb. 19, 2023 at the rail yard near the Nanaimo Port Authority building, based on information from Patterson.
Bradshaw said that while her client was classified as bright as a youngster, he had a history of substance abuse and depression. His father and grandfather both had died within two days of one another, which led to him spiraling down, she said.
Both Bradshaw and Barber had requested Patterson undergo a psychiatric assessment ahead of sentencing and addressing the court and he is considered at low-moderate risk to re-offend, although Barber said he thought it would be worse should Patterson if he began abusing substances again.
Addressing the court, Patterson apologized for the harm he caused and if he could take his actions back, he would.
Patterson was initially charged with second-degree murder.
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