The former student who pleaded guilty in the 2023 stabbing in a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo told his sentencing hearing Friday that he apologized for his actions and to the people who were affected by them.

Geovanny Villalba Aleman, 25, took the stand during the fifth and final day of proceedings in the Ontario Court of Justice in Kitchener.

He began his apology by addressing “anyone who may be affected” by his choice to attack the Hagey Hall class.

“I admitted that violence is not good for any reason.”

“When I was a kid, I never learned to trust,” he added, reflecting on how he watched his father beat his mother, his father apologize, and then he would repeat the cycle of violence. He described how this eroded his confidence in his father’s apology, but said his apology to the court was sincere.

“I just want to apologize to the people who found this very horrible,” he said, acknowledging that some people might not believe him.

The hearing began Monday with victim impact statements, including those from Associate Professor Katherine Fulfer and the two students injured in the attack.

Earlier this week, Dr Smita Vir Tyagi, a forensic and clinical psychologist retained by the defense, presented to the court a report detailing his mental state. The psychologist said she learned he had low self-esteem and found social interactions stressful. She diagnosed him with bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Tyagi clarified that her diagnosis for Villalba Aleman was based on her own words and descriptions of his mental state before and during the attack, so she could not say with absolute certainty whether he was experiencing a psychotic break during the attack or if he had. never experienced a psychotic crisis in his life.

Geovanny Villalba-Aleman pleaded guilty to four charges related to a stabbing incident during a gender studies class last June. (Geovanny Villalba-Aleman/Facebook)

On Tuesday, the Crown detailed the assault-related charges to which he pleaded guilty last June as well as the federal terrorism-related charge considered as part of sentencing. Attorney Howard Piafsky told the hearing that Villalba Aleman acted “to sow fear among his perceived enemies.”

One of the key elements of terrorism under Canadian law is that the act must have been committed for a political, religious or ideological purpose.

If it is determined that Villalba Aleman carried out a hate-motivated attack, the Crown is asking Judge Frances Brennan to sentence the 25-year-old to 13 years in prison. For a guilty verdict on the terrorism charge, punishable by life imprisonment, the Crown is seeking 16 years in prison.

Brennan will review the evidence presented in sentencing court and hopes to hand down the sentence on January 27.

Fulfer was present at the sentencing hearing every day. She did not want to be questioned outside of court after the hearing ended Friday.

A former student’s definition of ideology debate

The defense attorney says it’s difficult to determine exactly what Villalba Aleman’s ideology is because it was difficult to understand during his lengthy interview with police immediately after the attack.

Cooper Lord, one of the defense lawyers, said more than 350 words were marked as “indistinguishable” in the transcript of his police interview.

Lord noted that Fulfer described the ex-student as looking “resigned” during the attack.

“I guess that means his heart wasn’t in it,” Lord told the court.

The lawyer then disputed the Crown’s suggestion that his actions during Pride Month were intentional because his mental state was deteriorating months before the attack.

Lord highlighted the part of the police interview where the ex-student told the officer, “To be honest, I’m not transphobic,” and added that his main motivation was based on protecting freedom of expression or the academic world.

The defense asked Brennan to consider an eight-year prison sentence if Villalba Aleman was convicted of terrorism.

Piafsky reiterated his position that he attacked because of his ideology and should be convicted of terrorism, not just hatred, which would result in a lesser sentence.

“It’s not just targeting the LGBTQ community,” Piafsky said. “His motivation is not just hatred, it is a political and ideological concern.”

Piafsky and Brennan then had a lengthy exchange about how best to define the man’s ideology and whether it met the Criminal Code’s definition of what constitutes terrorism.