Man pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2020 stabbing death of girlfriend

Shaun Chiasson stood in the prisoner's box, shaking hands clasped behind his back, as the judge accepted his plea.

I find the accused guilty of manslaughter," said Justice Paul Sweeny.

Chiasson, 42, charged with second-degree murder in the 2020 stabbing death of Amy Hager, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in a Hamilton courtroom Monday.

Weeping could be heard from the body of the court as the decision was delivered.

On the evening of Sept. 21, 2020, Hamilton police responded to a 911 call for a partially naked man on the ground, covered in mud, yelling in agony and in mental anguish and who appeared to have jumped from one of the upper apartments," at 907 King St. E., acting Crown attorney Eric Taylor read from an agreed statement of facts.

A building manager identified the man as Chiasson, who lived on the fourth floor, he read. Then, police found Hager's lifeless body" on the floor of Apartment 33, he said.

The 20-year-old had suffered 28 stab wounds and another 36 cuts - three of them fatal - and ultimately died from blood loss," Taylor read.

An autopsy also showed changes to the skin on both of her legs, suggesting water immersion after her death," he said.

The apartment was unkempt," police noted, and the west window - above the place where Chiasson was found - was open.

Chiasson was taken to hospital with multiple fractures, Taylor read, where staff said he was in an out of consciousness for several hours after he was admitted and that he appeared to be suffering from some type of psychosis at times."

Toxicology reports showed the accused and the victim had methamphetamines, amphetamines, benzodiazepines - and, in Chiasson, THC - in their systems.

Hager and Chiasson had been in an intimate relationship" for about two years prior to September 2020. During that time, police had responded to 12 calls for noise complaints and apparent arguments relating to the couple, Taylor read, though none resulted in criminal charges or complaints of physical abuse.

Defence counsel Marco Sciarra said he and co-counsel Amara Sansanwal feel the manslaughter conviction is fair" - with the guilty plea saving the family the pain of a trial.

It was a very likely outcome had we had a trial," defence counsel Marco Sciarra told The Spec. Our client had no issue admitting that his actions caused her death, but ... he never meant for that to happen."

Editor's note: This story was updated June 6, 2023 to correct Chiasson's age. He is 42.

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com