Sentencing arguments were presented in a Saskatoon courtroom this week for two men convicted in the violent 2022 killing of James "Ed" Swift. Ashtin Ritzand and Colton Lischka, found guilty of manslaughter and aggravated assault this past October, appeared before Associate Chief Justice Michael Tochor as the Crown and defence laid out their cases for appropriate punishment.
Violent Confrontation on a Rural Road
The court heard that the fatal incident occurred on the night of August 29, 2022, on a grid road north of Saskatoon in the RM of Corman Park. An argument about cocaine erupted inside a vehicle carrying five people, which then spilled out into a ditch off Penner Road. The altercation turned deadly, resulting in the stabbing death of 40-year-old Swift.
Virgina Belhumeur, another occupant of the vehicle, was also viciously attacked, suffering stab wounds to her neck. Both Ritzand and Lischka were convicted not only of manslaughter for Swift's death but also of aggravated assault for the attack on Belhumeur.
A Victim's Lasting Trauma
Reading her victim impact statement in court on Tuesday, Virgina Belhumeur described the profound and ongoing psychological toll of the attack. "I am so afraid all the time," she told the court. She detailed a life now dominated by fear, whether in public or alone at home, stating that the only place she feels truly safe is in her therapist's office.
"I have a fear of everything and it's really taking a toll on my emotional and psychological stability," Belhumeur said. The physical scars on her neck serve as a constant, painful reminder of the trauma. "It brings back memories of that night like it was yesterday," she added.
Divergent Sentencing Submissions
Crown prosecutor Paul Scott urged the court to impose a significant penitentiary term, recommending a prison sentence in the range of 10 to 12 years for each man. Scott argued that the extreme violence of the offences warranted a stern response, noting that Swift's behaviour—being upset about paying for most of the cocaine after meeting the accused that night—did not justify the attack. "At most he was being a little bit annoying," Scott stated.
In contrast, defence counsel for Colton Lischka, Nicholas Stooshinoff, argued for a much lower sentence. He proposed a four-year term for manslaughter and a two-year concurrent sentence for the aggravated assault. Stooshinoff highlighted Lischka's lack of a prior criminal record, his steady employment history, and the 22 support letters submitted to the court that spoke to his client's good character.
The Crown, however, questioned the rehabilitative value of such uniformly positive character references, suggesting they painted an unrealistic portrait of a man without flaws.
Justice Tochor has reserved his decision on sentencing. The convictions stem from a trial that concluded on October 30, 2025, nearly three years after the tragic events that claimed the life of James "Ed" Swift and forever altered the life of Virgina Belhumeur.
