Killer who stabbed Calgary teen on basketball court sentenced

A Calgary man has been sentenced to an additional year behind bars for the killing of an 18-year-old two years ago.

A Calgary man will be spending an additional year behind bars followed by six months under community supervision for the killing of 18-year-old Danillo Canales Glenn two years ago.

Glenn’s 18-year-old killer was convicted of manslaughter in December, but cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act because he was 16 years old at the time of the crime.

He was sentenced on Tuesday.

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“Your recklessness in choosing to arm yourself and attack Danillo on Sept 5, 2023, resulted in the most terrible outcome possible,” said Justice Eleanor Funk

‘A hard day’

It was an emotional day for the family and friends of Glenn, as they shared the impact of his death

Glenn was pepper sprayed, attacked and stabbed several times while playing basketball with friends in Copperfield in September 2023.

“It was definitely a hard day and stuff like that and all I could do (was) collect myself and try to help him,” said Tanner de Groot, who tried to save his friend that evening.

De Groot was among four people that gave victim impact statements during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing.

“Even when I was upset, he always put a smile on my face because he was always in a great mood. He always found the positive in situations. There was no such thing as a bad day for him. I think the only bad day for him was the day that his life ended,” de Groot shared with CTV News.

He grew up with Glenn and now suffers from PTSD after witnessing his best friend get killed.

“I now look over my shoulder constantly thinking, is something going to happen or something going to happen to someone else and stuff like that, because I see a lot of the bad now, instead of the good that I used to see.”

Prosecutors were seeking the maximum youth sentence of two years in prison, in addition to the 24 months the young man has already served in custody since his arrest.

Crown lawyer Vicki Faulkner informed the court Monday that an adult sentence was no longer being considered, which was a disappointment to the victim’s family and friends.

“I was disappointed. I just think the most important thing is that he serves enough time that he has time to think about what he’s done, maybe have some time to for somebody to get through to him and find that remorse within himself,” said Kari Ginakos, Glenn’s former culinary arts teacher.

Ginakos directly addressed her former student’s killer in court, telling him that it haunts her that he likely died scared and confused.

The young man kept his gaze to his lap throughout the proceedings.

“It seems like he doesn’t have a lot of remorse, and I kind of wanted to connect with him person-to-person. I wanted him to understand that I see him as a person and not just the offender or the young person that they keep referring to him as. I see him as somebody—somebody’s child as well—but Danillo was somebody’s baby, too,” she said.

She fondly remembers Glenn’s graduation day.

He was the first in his family to graduate high school.

“He didn’t think he was going to graduate. He told me that in Grade 10. So, when he did graduate, it was a huge moment for him. He was really proud of himself. I was so proud of him. He was becoming such a good man. He really worked hard to overcome any challenges that he had,” she said.

Defence lawyer Alain Hepner asked the judge for a 26-month sentence including a mix of time in custody and community supervision, which with time served would see him released immediately.

He asked for the young man to be released into the custody of his parents or an aunt under very strict rules of house arrest.

“I respectfully submit he’s served his time,” said Hepner, who argued the maximum sentence should be reserved for the worst cases of its kind. “This is not the worst case of its kind.”

The offender also addressed the court and offered an apology to Glenn’s loved ones in the gallery.

“I would like the family of Danillo to know how truly terrible I feel,” he said. “I know sorry is just word, but I am truly very sorry.”

The young man and his older brother were both charged with second-degree murder, but the teen was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter in December.

The older brother, who was 18 years old at time, will go to trial in November and can’t be identified as it would identify his younger brother.