A man awarded the title, “Mr. Black”, in 2004 by Vancouver’s Black community, was sentenced today after being convicted on Saturday of second degree murder.Judge Arne Silverman told the packed courtroom that he had taken into consideration Dennis Knibbs’ involvement in the Black community in sentencing him. Knibbs’ lawyer, Glen Orris who has helped prepare the defense of accused serial prostitute killer Willie Pickton, told the judge that the 31 yr. old Knibbs had not only been named “Mr. Black”, he had been involved in Black History Month in Vancouver.
Knibbs, born in Montreal to Jamaican immigrants, was convicted by a jury of 8 women and four men, all Caucasian except for two women of Japanese ancestry, of murdering Trumaine “Ekoh” Habib, 21, on the night Apr. 4, 2005 . Knibbs shot Habib in the seedy New Wings Hotel on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, after Habib had shot Knibbs’ cousin in the belly. The double shooting had left residents the block by Oppenheimer Park stunned to see “police everywhere” carrying assault weapons.
The trial which began in April of this year, opened a window onto the “Vansterdam” drug culture which City Hall is attempting to curb as Vancouver prepares to “welcome the world” to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Witnesses at the Knibbs trial revealed everything from how much a crack cocaine dealer earned at the New Wings Hotel to how to buy and sell heroin without saying a word. The City closed down “The Wings” after the double murder and converted it to housing for women, many of whom are prostitute. It was re-named Sereena’s Place, after Sereena Abotsway, one of five Vancouver prostitutes whom Willie Pickton is now on trial for allegedly murdering.
Knibbs, the judge explained receives an automatic sentence of 25 years for murdering Habib But it’s the judge’s job to decide whether Knibbs will be eligible for parole after serving the mandatory 10 years or whether that term will be increased. Prosecutor Michael Luchencko asked the judge to set the minumum sentence at 10-13 years.
There was a tense moment in the court room when one of Knibbs’ supporters harassed the victim’s mother, a youthful Black woman with short hair, when her Victim Impact Statement was being read by the judge.
The jury, consisting of 8 women and four men, all Caucasian with the exception of 2 Asian women, had recommended that the judge allow Knibbs to be eligible for parole after serving ten years. Judge Silverman told them on Saturday that he would listen to them. And he did.
For full story, see Downtown Eastside Enquirer, which has been covering the trial live at B.C. Supreme Court.
3 users commented in " “Mr. Black” community gets 10 yrs. "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI dont care if he was Mr. Black, he killed someone and that is not acceptable. As a “respected” figure in the black community he should be held at a higher level of responsiblity by the BLACK community. Not pardoned for his actions. I hope he stays in jail.
First of all ….. u dont even know the half ….matter of fact what do u know . Let me ask u a question . If u had ask someone to leave once and never come back . I mean really never come back because the act was so harmful . And the person comes back with a shotgun . Buddy I bet you’ll be in Knibbs place . Like people always say there’s things that happen in life that are unexplanable . And this is one of them . The fact that the person came back with the shotgun , when the owner of the building barred him is ludacris . So let me ask u , the people , a question . If Knibbs and his cousin never walked into the room , and vice versa . Knibbs and his cousin was chillin and Mr. Ecko spotted them . And shot them dead . Would Ecko still be loved because he felt his life was threatened from last fight they got into . That’s what I mean , WHITE PEOPLE KEEP TWISTING THE LAW . UNTIL U FIND ALL THE CRACK HEADS ON THE CLEAN PART OF VANCOUVER AND U CANT STOP IT . I BET U WOULD WANT TO LEAVE DOWNTOWN ALONE . BUT THAT DAY IS COMIN . WE ARE PLANNIN TO BRING IT TO THE NICE AREAS . SO U SEE WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS . AND HA , ECKO IS DEAD
Hmmmm. 1st off the story isn’t quite right..I was there that night and I know EXACTLY what went on. Echo had been smashed up with a baseball bat by Ian in retalliation for drug dealing and cutting Ians grass so to speak.
Echo came back with the Shotgun with the intent to blast Ian ONLY is he repeated history. When he walked back in to his room Iam came in behind and again with a bat…Echo blasted him. Rocka heard the blast came into the room, wrestled the gun outta Echos hands and blasted HIM with it….end of story..
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