US EditionMan Gets Life for Ex-Girlfriend's 'Gruesome and Horrific' Murder as Judge Weighs Maplehurst Rights Violations
Judge Jennifer Woollcombe reduced parole ineligibility to 18 years citing Charter rights violations during Ritchie's incarceration at Maplehurst Correctional Complex.
- On May 15, 2025, an Ontario judge sentenced Linval Ritchie to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 18 years for murdering his ex-girlfriend in Brampton.
- The murder occurred on June 18, 2022, when Ritchie broke into Vanessa Virgioni's basement apartment and tried to decapitate the 29-year-old woman.
- During sentencing, Justice Woollcombe described the case as one of the most gruesome she has encountered and acknowledged that Ritchie's rights under the Charter were infringed when he was confined for 37 hours wearing only boxer shorts at Maplehurst Correctional Complex.
- Woollcombe initially determined that the parole disqualification range warranted 20 to 22 years, but lowered it to 18 years due to violations of Ritchie's rights, while denying the defence’s request to reduce it to 10 years.
- The case highlights ongoing issues with inmates' treatment at Maplehurst, as confirmed by an ombudsman investigation amid record complaints about correctional facility conditions in Ontario.
13 Articles
13 Articles
InnisfilToday.ca
Man gets life for ex-girlfriend's murder as judge weighs Maplehurst rights violations
An Ontario judge has sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend to life in prison without parole eligibility for 18 years.
Man gets life for ex-girlfriend's 'gruesome and horrific' murder as judge weighs Maplehurst rights violations
An Ontario judge has sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend to life in prison without parole eligibility for 18 years. The case is one of dozens affected by alleged violations of Maplehurst Correctional Complex inmates’ rights during their incarceration at the facility in Milton, Ont. A lawyer for […]
Global News
CP24Man gets life for ex-girlfriend’s murder as judge weighs Maplehurst rights violations
An Ontario judge has sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend to life in prison without parole eligibility for 18 years.
Man gets life for ex-girlfriend’s murder as judge weighs Maplehurst rights violations – 105.9 The Region
An Ontario judge has sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend to life in prison without parole eligibility for 18 years. The case is one of dozens affected by alleged violations of Maplehurst Correctional Complex inmates’ rights during their incarceration at the facility in Milton, Ont. Court heard that Linval Ritchie broke into a basement apartment in Brampton, Ont., where Vanessa Virgioni lived with t…
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