A Guelph man convicted of attempted murder has had his sentence reduced by four months after a second trial in relation to a 2018 stabbing.
Anthony Bruzzese was sentenced to seven years and eight months in jail on Monday.
His original conviction – an eight-year jail sentence in 2021 – was overturned by the Ontario Court of Appeal.
The difference from the original sentence imposed is what is called the Downes credit, where Bruzzese was given credit for being subject to strict bail conditions.
Bruzzese was found guilty for a second time in December for an incident that happened in a Food Basics parking lot.
In her decision, Justice Cynthia Peterson noted Bruzzese told the victim more than once he “was unworthy of life, and that it would be easy to kill him.”
“In the minutes prior to the stabbing, at the Food Basics plaza, he threatened to kill (the victim) if (a third man at the scene) did not convince (the victim) to go back home,” she wrote.
“He then stabbed (the victim) with sufficient force to puncture his abdomen. Twice. Then he left (him) lying on the ground in (an) empty parking lot where he was unlikely to be noticed by anyone who could render or summon emergency medical assistance.”
It was determined the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that “Bruzzese meant to kill (the victim) when he stabbed him.”
The victim survived the incident when he was found by a passerby minutes later.
The incident itself stemmed from an argument over cocaine.
Before the evening began, Bruzzese and the victim did not know each other but became acquainted at a local bar.
In May 2023, a new trial was ordered after Bruzzese successfully argued Justice Gordon Lemon made errors in the original trial.
It was reported Lemon told the jury to ignore a suggestion by the defence that a lack of victim’s blood on Bruzzese’s clothes does give rise to reasonable doubt.
In addition to the jail sentence, a DNA order was re-imposed, along with a weapons ban and a no contact order.
It was also learned Monday that the victim died last fall of causes unrelated to the incident.
