Convicted of second-degree murder by a jury, Honor Charley was sentenced Wednesday for the stabbing death of Carl Reinboth on Somerset Street in Ottawa.
Carl Reinboth spent his final moments of life bleeding out on a Somerset Street sidewalk with a chef’s knife in his back.
Reinboth, 64, was knifed in a deadly, random attack on the streets he served. He was an advocate for folks living in the margins of society, mostly the mentally-ill and addicted.
Reinboth had the highest calling in town, devoting his life’s work to helping our town’s most vulnerable as an outreach worker with expertise in drug harm-reduction and comforting the unwell.
In the end, on April 23, 2021, he was killed by Honor Charley, just 20 and in the throes of a psychotic episode. Charley was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, which runs in his family.
Charley was found guilty of second-degree murder by a jury in February. The jury didn’t hear a lot about Reinboth at trial, but at his killer’s parole eligibility hearing on Wednesday the court heard a lot about the accomplished life of Reinboth through victim-impact statements from family, friends and co-workers.
By all accounts, Reinboth took care of others better than he took care of himself and was a graceful mentor, but could be firm working in the volatile street-outreach scene.
He led with love at every step and could often be seen with a suit and tie. He figured it would help de-escalate the unpredictable on the street and display his gentle, caring nature. They said he was whip-smart, had a good laugh and was a revered advocate for the vulnerable. Moving impact statements portrayed him as a most accomplished leader in the neighbourhood — trying to help the folks like the young man who killed him.
Evening Update
Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Pelletier agreed with a joint position and ruled Charley would be eligible for parole after serving 10 years from the date of his 2021 arrest.
Reinboth worked across the country in harm reduction and was working as an outreach worker for Somerset West Community Health Centre when he was knifed in the back. He loved vinyl nights, playing the saxophone and coffee on the porch.
He had just lit up a cigarette on the sidewalk after buying a pack at a gas bar on Somerset when Charley, in a random attack, knifed him in the back.
Those who filed moving impact statements expressed the crushing weight of grief and, in some cases, fear of even leaving their homes. Some of Reinboth’s close friends said they were unable to work after the killing and they couldn’t escape the nightmares, particularly a friend and co-worker who ran to the call and saw that it was Reinboth.
The images are haunting, and some said the emotional toll of losing the revered Reinboth was overwhelming and they had severe trust issues. Some have left their once-loved work, and one close friend who said she once loved the neighbourhood, but now stayed clear of it.
Some said the emotions of that day were still raw and they couldn’t delete them from their minds.
One of his close friends filed their victim-impact statement anonymously and had Ottawa Police Service Sgt. Kevin Jacobs read it on their behalf.
She said no words could ever capture or express the depth of this tragedy and overwhelming grief in the community.
“The world is not the same without Carl in it. No one will ever replace Carl and I will forever be in mourning,” she wrote.
She wrote that she’d never forget the day Ottawa police knocked on her door and told her the worst news. “At that moment, my entire world collapsed. I was overcome with sorrow, disbelief, and overcoming panic.”
She said she found it hard to sleep and had sought therapy. She noted that the pain was not just hers.
“Carl spent his life and career fighting for the most marginalized people in our society. He was their advocate, their voice, and their safe place. Through his death, they too have lost someone irreplaceable.”
She, liked others, described it as a senseless act of violence.
In her impact statement, she also wrote, “(Charley’s) actions were not a mistake, not a moment of weakness, but a calculated and heartless act of evil.”
The court also heard from witnesses who filed supporting letters for the killer. They said Charley had a solid moral compass, had prospects for the future and was about to play football on the East Coast with a scholarship. The pandemic put a quick end to that dream and his mental health fell during COVID-19 times, when he started behaving irrationally.
One supporting statement came from a high school friend who recalled the time he stole just over $1,000 from a bedroom at a house party. He took Charley outside and showed him the cash. It was the most they’d ever seen. Charley told his friend he had give the money back. When his friend refused, Charley grabbed the stolen money and gave it back to the party host, who thanked him profusely because it was their money to pay rent.
The judge also recognized the fact that, until the murderous events of April 23, 2021, Charley had been a good person. He worked hard on his grades with the help of a long-time neighbour he called “grandmother.” He used to shovel her walkway, and later she tutored him in school.
Charley was also found not criminally responsible for the attempted murder of another man he attacked two hours after stabbing Reinboth.
After Charley fled the scene of the first stabbing and briefly hid under a porch on Cambridge Street, he was next seen at a nearby dog park. Police were called after Charley attempted to take a woman’s dog.
Charley was 20 at the time of the stabbings and “his mind began creating scenarios that didn’t exist,” defence lawyer Michael Smith told the jury.
Charley’s mother had seen him the day before the stabbings and recalled aggressive behaviour. Around that time, Charley had inexplicably stated that he believed celebrities Kim Kardashian and Kevin Hart were posting about him on social media and that the postings had garnered millions of “views.”
“Something (was) definitely wrong with Honor Charley. He is paranoid, he thinks people are out to get him … and he’s scared,” Smith said. “At the time of the stabbing, he hears a voice saying, ‘That’s the guy.’
“When he stabbed (the victims), Mr. Charley’s psychosis was at its highest,” Smith told the jury.
The Crown countered Smith’s arguments by asking the jury to “reject outright” the opinions of the psychologist. Assitant Crown attorney John Semenoff told the jury Charley was “fully aware of what he was doing” during the stabbings “and he did it anyway.”
But at the parole-eligibility hearing Wednesday, the Crown made clear that mental illness played a role in the senseless killing, as did the judge. Charley declined to say anything at the hearing.
In one moving impact statement, one of Reinboth’s friends said she hoped the killer would be given a second chance — like Reinboth would have wanted. She also said she hoped the killer would have access to mental-health care in prison and not just be warehoused.
Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.
