An Edmonton man who strangled a sex trade worker until she lost consciousness and then robbed her has been sentenced to three years in prison. Christopher Walter, 24, received the sentence in Edmonton Court of King's Bench on Wednesday after Justice James Neilson accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defense.
With credit for time served in pre-trial custody, Walter has just over three months remaining to serve. The judge noted that the 2024 attack could have been fatal. 'The court needs to denounce this type of crime, and the sentence also goes to deterring other crimes, it is hoped,' Neilson said.
Details of the Attack
According to an agreed statement of facts, Walter met the victim on LeoList, a classifieds website commonly used in the sex trade. They met at the Holiday Inn Express on Calgary Trail on July 6, 2024, and agreed on payment for sex. During the encounter, Walter experienced performance issues and both agreed to end it. As the victim escorted him to the door, Walter suddenly attacked, punching her in the face and strangling her. She awoke on the floor 30 to 40 minutes later with a blanket over her face and discovered her phone, bank cards, identification, and cash were missing.
Police arrested Walter four days later as he attempted to cross into Canada from the United States at the Coutts border crossing.
Legal Proceedings
Walter was initially charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of aggravated assault, and five counts of robbery for alleged attacks on five women. He pleaded guilty in December to one count of an eight-count indictment involving a single victim, with no allegation of sexual assault. The remaining counts were withdrawn on Wednesday.
Crown prosecutor Sandra Christensen-Moore argued that a multi-year sentence was necessary to denounce and deter such crimes. She highlighted that the victim was a sex trade worker—a particularly vulnerable group that often underreports crimes—and noted the high level of violence as aggravating factors.
Defense lawyer Ashton Milroy and the Crown jointly recommended the sentence, acknowledging Walter's guilty plea and lack of prior criminal record. Milroy stated that Walter has good prospects for rehabilitation, noting that his grandmother and siblings attended court to support him. 'He knows what he has done caused harm, and he does feel shame,' she said.
Justice Neilson found the proposed sentence appropriate, telling Walter, 'You're a very young man still and you have a long life ahead of you. I'm sure this whole process has been a very hard process for you to deal with, and I'm sure you will take that into account as you try to become a productive and law-abiding citizen following your release from custody.'
