WARNING: The following story includes disturbing content, including domestic violence and suicide.
A jury has found a Saint John, N.B., man guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two boys aged 10 and 17, who were found violently stabbed in an apartment in January last year.
The jury delivered its verdict Thursday morning after deliberating for a few hours over the course of two days. The trial lasted two weeks and heard from 24 witnesses.
The verdict means an automatic life sentence with no parole eligibility for 25 years for Roman Kamyshnyy, 46.
Kamyshnyy stood silent and showed no emotion as the verdict was read aloud.
“Today’s verdict marks a significant moment in a deeply distressing and tragic case,” Saint John Police spokesperson, Staff Sgt. Shawna Fowler, told reporters after the verdict.
“While no verdict can undo the harm that has been done, accountability is an important step in recognizing that harm and supporting the path toward healing.”
Saint John police responded to a 911 call to an apartment building on Skaling Court on the morning of Jan. 29, 2025, and found the bodies of the two boys inside a home.
At the time, police said a man, who had life-threatening injuries, was taken into custody and later charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Saint John police responded to a 911 call on Jan. 29, 2025, on Skaling Court. They forced entry into the home and located two deceased male youth, ages 10 and 17.
Reeti Rohilla/Global News
A publication ban protects the names of the victims, but a judge previously ruled that the case can be reported as alleged domestic violence.
During the trial this month, the court heard that the boys died from multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. It was also revealed during the trial that it was the 17-year-old who called 911.
Police officers testified it took effort to get into the apartment unit because the door was barricaded. Once inside, they found the body of the older boy on the floor of the living room and the body of the younger boy in a bedroom.
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A forensic pathologist testified that the boys’ injuries were the result of “substantial force,” with some wounds reaching five to seven centimetres deep.
The evidence was often difficult to watch, as jurors were shown photographs of the victims’ injuries and Kamyshnyy covered in blood after driving building nails into both of his temples with a nail gun in an apparent suicide attempt. They also heard a recording of the 911 call where the teen is heard pleading for help.
Crown prosecutor Elaina Campbell told the jury in her closing statements on Tuesday that “he planned to kill” and “this is about his calculated choices.”
She said the killings were “planned and deliberate,” calling them an act of “desperate vengeance.”
The Crown pointed to the purchase of the nail gun, a pre-recorded video message Kamyshnyy sent to his father the morning of the killings and emails scheduled to be sent after his suicide attempt.
Campbell read a letter found at the scene by police — dated two days before the murders — during her closing statement, which read in part, “I’m fully responsible for this situation.”
Kamyshnyy, who took the stand in his own defence, admitted he wrote goodbye letters but denied he planned the killings or that he even recalled what happened.
He repeated the phrase, “I don’t remember,” on the stand multiple times when asked about the events of that January day.
“I was living a normal life,” he told the jury. “Then I closed my eyes, opened and I’m in the hospital.”
Early in the trial, the court heard from the Crown’s central witness, known as Witness A.
Witness A testified about receiving a message from Kamyshnyy on Jan. 29, 2025 saying he had “killed everyone.” Kamyshnyy also sent a disturbing photo, the jury heard.
Defence lawyer Shanna Wicks argued in her closing statements that prosecutors failed to prove the essential elements required for first-degree murder.
She argued there was no plan, said Kamyshnyy bought the nail gun for his job and told the jury the knives were from the kitchen and not purchased specifically to carry out murders.
The defence argued there was no proof Kamyshnyy intended to assault or kill the boys and therefore should be found not guilty, or failing that, guilty of manslaughter or second-degree murder instead.
Kamyshnyy is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 13.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
For immediate mental health support, call 988. For a directory of support services in your area, visit the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention at suicideprevention.ca.
Learn more about preventing suicide with these warning signs and tips on how to help.
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