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Man who pleaded guilty in University of Waterloo stabbings faces sentencing hearing

Written by on October 21, 2024

KITCHENER, Ont. — A sentencing hearing is underway for a man who pleaded guilty to four charges in the stabbing of a professor and two students in a University of Waterloo gender studies class.

Geovanny Villalba-Aleman pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm in June, roughly a year after the attack.

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada says those offences constitute terrorist activity in his case.

An agreed statement of facts previously read in court said Villalba-Aleman told police he carried out the attack because he believed post-secondary institutions were “forcing ideology” on people.

It said he told police he went into the gender studies class because of the subject matter being taught and specifically targeted the professor.

The former University of Waterloo student, who was 24 at the time of the attack, initially faced 11 charges.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press