At 24 years old, Dante Ognibene-Hebbourn is now the same age as the woman he killed while experiencing drug-induced psychosis in 2022. 

One day before the violent attack that unfolded at ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç's UBC Okanagan campus on Feb 25, 2022, Ognibene-Hebbourn's parents reported concerns that their son's mental health had "seriously deteriorated," to his mental health team, saying that he appeared to have relapsed into another episode of psychosis. Ognibene-Hebbourn's parents believed their son required emergent action including involuntary treatment, said Honourable Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes on May 14, in her sentencing decision.

Justice Holmes told the court that members of the Crisis Response Team then questioned Ognibene-Hebbourn but he denied homicidal ideation, delusional thoughts and substance use, and was not apprehended or treated. 

His victim, Harmandeep Kaur, had been working as a security guard at UBCO, with goals of saving up enough money to attend post-secondary education. She had been granted permanent residency in Canada just weeks before the attack and was preparing to enrol in post-secondary education.

More than three years after the attack that claimed her life, Kaur's family travelled to ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç from India to hear Ognibene-Hebbourn enter a guilty plea for manslaughter and be sentenced to 15 years in custody. Ognibene-Hebbourn had originally been charged with one count of second-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter on May 13, bypassing the need for a trial. 

In a ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç courtroom filled with Kaur's family, friends, colleagues and supporters, Justice Holmes sentenced Ognibene-Hebbourn, who was wearing a red prison sweatsuit, to 15 years in prison, less time served. Ognibene-Hebbourn has remained in custody since being released from psychiatric care in April 2022 and will receive remand credit of four years and nine months, meaning he will serve an additional 10 years and three months in federal prison.

In her sentencing decision Justice Holmes outlined Ognibene-Hebbourn's longtime difficulties with mental illness and poly-substance use disorder. She told the court that since 2019, Ognibene-Hebbourn had been hospitalized numerous times for mental illness, substance use disorder, and suicide attempts.

One year prior to the attack Ognibene-Hebbourn, had moved to Lake Country from Ontario to live with his father. He was receiving outpatient psychiatric care and was working as a janitor at UBCO.

In the months before the attack, Ognibene-Hebbourn told his mental health team that he did not like the side effects of the injectable anti-psychotics he was being given. In October 2021 – six months before the fatal attack of Kaur – he received his final anti-psychotic injection, while his dose of other oral medications were increased under the guidance of a physician. Justice Holmes said that this marked the beginning of Ognibene-Hebbourn's deterioration.

One month after the final injection of anti-psychotics, Ognibene-Hebbourn overdosed on vape juice and began to regularly miss psychiatric appointments.

The day before Kaur was attacked, Ognibene-Hebbourn's mother and father contacted his mental health team and expressed concern that their son had relapsed and was experiencing psychosis. 

The Crisis Response Team was dispatched and questioned Ognibene-Hebbourn but he denied experiencing delusions or homicidal ideation and was not apprehended. 

Justice Holmes told the court that Ognibene-Hebbourn's father remained concerned after being told that his son would not be given involuntary psychiatric care.

On Feb 26, Ognibene-Hebbourn was working his shift as a nighttime janitor at UBCO. At approximately 5 a.m. he was caught masturbating on campus through a window by Kaur, who was patrolling as a security guard.

"He did not want her to tell anyone," said Justice Holmes. 

"The offence was almost random and baseless, except to Mr. Ognibene-Hebbourn's distorted thoughts."

The ensuing attack was captured on security cameras and took place over a period of approximately nine minutes. Ognibene-Hebbourn kicked and stomped on Kaur's head repeatedly in three separate bouts of violence, leaving her on the ground in a pool of her own blood. She was found shortly after the attack and died one day later in the hospital.

Ognibene-Hebbourn quickly identified as the suspect and was apprehended by police while shirtless and still on campus. He was then taken to the hospital where he was detained under the mental health act for three months. While at the hospital, samples of his blood and urine revealed that he had taken multiple drugs within 12 hours of the attack. 

In a police interview after his arrest, Ognibene-Hebbourn claimed that on the day of the offence, he did not understand what was happening but told the RCMP that he did feel like a "toxic and dangerous person."

Two psychiatrists assessed Ognibene-Hebbourn after the assault and submitted to the court that he does not qualify for a verdict of 'not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder.' While Ognibene-Hebbourn was in a state of drug-induced psychosis from an intentional drug use at the time of the attack, he knew what he was doing was wrong, said the psychiatrists. 

Justice Holmes told the court that while his actions may look like murder, Ognibene-Hebbourn has not been found guilty of murder because he likely did not have the specific intent to murder Kaur. 

The court heard that Ognibene-Hebbourn has expressed remorse to the police, but he did not explicitly indicate remorse during the sentencing proceedings or address Kaur's family. 

During her sentencing decision, Justice Holmes told the court that Ognibene-Hebbourn had once again discontinued his anti-psychotic medications.

Instead, while at the Okanagan Correctional Facility, Ognibene-Hebbourn has been managing his mental health with proper nutrition and exercise.

"I am concerned that Mr. Ognibene-Hebbourn does not understand the full extent of the danger he may pose to society as a result of his substance use and his mental health challenges," said Justice Holmes.

The Justice said she fears that in this case, engaging in good nutrition and exercise will not be sufficient to keep himself and the public safe particularly if Ognibene-Hebbourn increases the risks associated with a deterioration in his mental health by downplaying his symptoms, as he did to his crisis response team shortly before the attack. 

In addition to the sentence of 15 years, of which he has 10 years and 3 months left to serve, Ognibene-Hebbourn will also be subject to a lifetime weapons ban.