Toronto woman convicted of second-degree murder for stabbing ex-boyfriend in Newmarket

Mckenzie Gill was found guilty of murdering Blake Bibby, 36, after a judge rejected her self-defence claim. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

Newmarket stabbing death: Gill convicted of second-degree murder after self-defence claim rejected

A Toronto woman has been found guilty of second-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of her former boyfriend at his Newmarket apartment in July 2024, Global News Crime reports. Superior Court Justice Vanessa Christie rejected Mckenzie Gill's claim that she acted in self-defence, finding instead that Gill was driven by jealous rage when she plunged a kitchen knife into the chest of Blake Bibby, 36.

"The court is fully satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Gill knew that by plunging a blade into Mr. Bibby's chest in the area of his heart, she intended to cause him bodily harm that was likely to cause death and was reckless as to whether he died or not," Christie said. Gill hugged her lawyer and wiped away tears as the verdict was delivered.

A volatile relationship with a history of violence

The couple had been in an on-and-off relationship since February 2022. All parties agreed it was volatile and violent. Bibby had faced assault charges involving Gill on three occasions; Gill herself had been charged once after punching him and throwing a phone case at him in June 2023.

On July 14, 2024, Gill and Bibby were together at his apartment on Millard Avenue in Newmarket, despite Bibby being subject to two court orders prohibiting him from having any contact with her. Gill admitted to stabbing him once in the chest with a kitchen knife. She then called 911, gave a false identity, misrepresented what had happened, and fled the scene. She was arrested two days later.

Christie acknowledged that the relationship carried a substantial history of abuse and that Bibby was the primary perpetrator of the violence between them. In October 2022, the court accepted, Gill had acted in legitimate self-defence when she stabbed Bibby in the shoulder following an attack. Bibby also had a documented history of violence towards other women, including his own grandmother.

Credibility concerns and the 911 call

Despite that history, Christie found Gill's account of the July 2024 events fundamentally unreliable. The judge noted that Gill had offered several different versions of events to various people, and that her behaviour on the 911 call undermined her claim of fear and panic.

"She didn't advise 911 it was a stab wound to the chest," Christie said, noting that Gill told the operator only that he had been in a fight and was bleeding. "The obvious urgency was not being conveyed to 911."

The judge was particularly struck by Gill's tone during the call. "Her tone is chilling and lacks any emotion. At one point, she laughs with a chuckle," Christie said. She contrasted this with the October 2022 call, when Gill had genuinely been under attack and her fear was audible.

Christie also noted the physical evidence. Beyond some red marks on Gill's arm photographed several days after the incident, she had sustained no visible injuries. "It seems quite unlikely that Ms. Gill would almost entirely avoid injury if her version of events were true," the judge said.

"She was furious, not in fear"

Christie found that the argument on July 14 had escalated after Bibby taunted Gill about sleeping with other women, and that jealousy and rage — not fear — drove what followed.

"This was a verbal argument. She was not in fear, she was furious," the judge stated. She found that Gill had multiple opportunities to leave the apartment before the stabbing, and that no force was used or threatened by Bibby at the moment of the stabbing. The only threat of violence that evening, Christie concluded, was Bibby threatening to harm himself.

"This court simply does not accept Ms. Gill's version of events and it does not leave this court with any doubt. Ms. Gill did not believe on reasonable grounds or otherwise that force was being used or threatened against her. She was furious. She reached her breaking point. She reacted with a knife. On this basis alone, the Crown has disproven self-defence beyond a reasonable doubt," Christie said.

The judge described the stabbing as a deep plunge into the chest and found Gill's response disproportionate in every respect. "Even by Ms. Gill's account, Mr. Bibby never directly threatened her with a weapon," Christie noted.

No-contact orders violated; bail revoked

Christie also found that Gill had "blatantly violated her own no-contact order" while facilitating the breach of Bibby's, further undermining any claim that she was acting out of fear rather than anger. "Ms. Gill was furious in that final moment and she simply had had enough of Mr. Bibby," the judge said. "After all the history between them and this full day of taunting, in the circumstances of this case, a single stab wound was not reasonable."

At the conclusion of the hearing, Gill's bail was revoked. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Source: Global News Crime