A man who killed one woman and injured six others in a stabbing rampage outside the Lynn Valley library two years ago has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 15 years.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Gaul handed the sentence to Yannick Bandaogo, 30, in New Westminster Supreme Court on Thursday, describing how Bandaogo “destroyed the lives of many people” and traumatized the community.
Bandaogo’s attacks had “devastating consequences on the victims and their families,” the judge said.
Bandaogo, who is from Montreal, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one charge of second-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault for a stabbing rampage outside the Lynn Valley library in March 2021.
Bandaogo fatally stabbed one young woman multiple times before attacking three more people close by. He then went outside to the library plaza, where he stabbed three more people. Bandaogo admitted in the statement of facts that he didn’t know any of the people he attacked.
Victim impact statements
The decision this week comes after a sentencing hearing earlier this summer, in which several victims of the stabbing spree described the impact of the devastating attacks in court in victim impact statements, calling Bandaogo a “monster.”
The mother of the young woman who was killed – whose identity is protected by a publication ban – described how her daughter’s death had shattered her family’s lives.
Susanne Till, one of the other victims and a single mother of three children, described being rushed to hospital for emergency surgery and losing an eye following Bandaogo's attack.
University student Emma Henderson described suffering panic attacks and being shocked by her own appearance in the aftermath.
Bandaogo apologized to the court for his actions but offered no motive for the attack.
“It’s hard to find the words and the phrases to explain why I did what I did,” Bandaogo told the judge in June.
The court heard two psychiatric reports that showed Bandaogo has an “antisocial personality disorder” with “elements of psychopathy”, characterized by having little remorse for violent actions or empathy for those he hurt.
Murderer was a heavy drug user
In court Thursday, the judge noted Bandaogo had used many drugs including crystal meth, cocaine and heroin. He was homeless when he arrived in B.C. in February 2021 and spent his time riding the transit system.
In a letter to the court read out in earlier this summer, Bandaogo’s mother said her family repeatedly tried, but failed, to get help for her son’s mental health and addiction issues.
Bandaogo has a history of violent behaviour, according to information presented in court, including a prior conviction for threatening to stab two strangers in Manitoba.
Victims relieved court process is over
Although Bandaogo could not explain why he committed “these monstrous and violent attacks against strangers in the North Vancouver community,” Gaul noted, he had accepted responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty.
Outside the court on Thursday, Crown prosecutor Daniel Loucks said the victims of the attack and their families have voiced relief that the legal process has concluded.
"We can only hope that it will bring some closure,” he said, adding that the legal process “can never undo what's been done.”
