VANCOUVER -- They were there when a six months pregnant woman, hiding out from her threatening ex-boyfriend, was shot in the stomach. They testified at trial for the man charged with attempted murder. Now, the owner and an employee of an East Vancouver print shop are outraged a judge has found Carleton Stevens not guilty.
“I'm shocked. I don’t know what to say,” said East Van Graphics employee Dollie Middleton. “I just don’t understand what happened in the trial, I thought it was going well.”
In her ruling on Wednesday, Justice Jennifer Duncan said she believed Stevens did break into East Van Graphics in May 2018 and fire a single shot that hit his pregnant ex-girlfriend in the stomach, severing the umbilical cord and killing their unborn child. But because that bullet first travelled through the arm of print shop employee Taj Lovett, the judge was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Stevens wasn’t targeting Lovett instead. So he was acquitted of attempting to kill his ex-girlfriend, known to the court by her initials J.Y.
“It blows my mind because even if he was aiming at Taj and not her, he still had a gun, he still shot at someone, and he should have been convicted,” said Middleton.
Her boss agrees. “I was shocked,” said East Van Graphics owner Jeff Grayston, who along with Middleton testified in court about the morning of the shooting. “I could not believe it wasn't obvious attempted murder of one, two or three people if you did count the baby.”
Simon Fraser University criminology professor Rob Gordon expects Crown will appeal the not guilty verdict. “I think the judge probably erred, with the greatest of respect,” he said.
But Gordon thinks prosecutors did as well, by not giving the judge the option of convicting Stevens on a lesser charge.
“In this case it appears Crown was a little over confident in securing a conviction here, and didn’t bother or didn’t consider the prospect of there not being a conviction,” said Gordon.
The team at East Van Graphics was equally confident Stevens would be found guilty. “I felt it was a slam dunk, and that police also had lots of information on this guy,” said Grayston.
“It was a no brainer is what I thought,” said Middleton. “I guess the judge feels different. I hope they appeal it.”
In an emailed statement, Crown counsel spokesman Dan McLaughlin said “I can advise that the BC Prosecution Service will be carefully reviewing the case and the reasons for judgment to determine what steps will be taken following this ruling.”
While prosecutors decide their next move, Stevens remains in custody on a weapons charge. But he intends to seek bail soon, which worries Middleton, who confronted him minutes after the shooting and testified against him in court.
She’s most concerned for Stevens’ ex-girlfriend, who not only lost her unborn child, but lives with the bullet still imbedded near her spine.
“She must be devastated,” Middleton said. “Justice has not been served, that’s for damn sure.”
