Man sentenced to life for cocaine-induced stabbing death of St. Albert teen
On Thursday, Kaj Alexander Randall pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for a stabbing that killed a 17-year-old girl and injured a 13-year-old girl in July 2024.
The brutal attack happened in the girl's home in St. Albert last summer with a father figure they trusted.
Jaeden Chaisson was stabbed to death on July 18, 2024 in a townhouse in the Riverside area of the city directly north of Edmonton.
Due to the age of the victims, there was a publication ban protecting the identity of the 13-year-old girl. But on Thursday in court, now-14-year-old Brooklyn Janes fought to remove the ban on her identity.
This follows the decision by the fatal stabbing victim's mother and Brooklyn's aunt, Nicole Chaisson, to remove the publication ban from her daughter's name earlier in the court case.
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'We weren't allowed to talk about [Jaeden], we were not allowed to show her face, but I want people to know what a beautiful person she was, the smile that she showed us all the time, this is who she was,' said Chaisson.
'This is what she needs to be remembered for, not for how she left us. So, I just want to honour the better parts of her story as opposed to the horrific ending that she had.'
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Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is what she needs to be remembered for, not for how she left us. So, I just want to honour the better parts of her story as opposed to the horrific ending that she had."
'[Brooklyn] hasn't had that inside of her for over a year now, so for her to make that decision for herself to come back, even just a little bit, it means a lot to us, gives us a little more hope for her.'
According to an agreed statement of facts, before the day of the attack, Randall had been a loving spouse to Kayla Chaisson and a loving father figure to Brooklyn Janes.
He had never been aggressive or violent towards either of the teens.
Randall, his common-law partner, Kayla Chaisson and her 13-year-old daughter Brooklyn had all lived together as a family for three years, and 17-year-old Jaeden moved in with her aunt and cousin a few weeks before the attack.
View image in full screen
Jaeden Chaisson, 17. Credit / GoFundMe
On July 18th, 2024, 28-year-old Randall got off work and went to Kayla's work, where she was on shift, and had a beer while visiting with her. The agreed statement of facts said she didn't notice anything unusual about his behaviour or mood.
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After that, he left her workplace, bought some cocaine and returned to the home, while Kayla was still at work. They had a 10-minute phone call about an hour and a half later, during which Kayla also talked to her daughter and described both her partner and child as happy.
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After that, things took a terrible turn.
WARNING: Graphic details ahead
Randall went into their ensuite bathroom on the top floor of the three-story home and snorted some of the cocaine he'd bought around 10 p.m. He then called Kayla again, but this time she noted his voice was unusually monotone and he sounded 'off' enough that she wrapped up work and left to go home.
About five minutes later, Randall, armed with a kitchen knife, was down on the home's middle floor living area.
He began stabbing Jaeden repeatedly in the head, neck, chest, and arms as she screamed for him to stop. Jaeden was stabbed a total of 21 times.
Brooklyn was in her bedroom upstairs talking to a friend on the phone when she overheard Jaeden screaming. She hung up. She didn't know what was happening downstairs but could hear her cousin in pain. Brooklyn went to her bedroom door and tried to hold it shut, but Randall forced his way in.
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He started to violently attacking the 13-year-old: stabbing, punching, kicking, and throwing her. She sustained at least 12 stab wounds.
1:52
Heartbroken mother remembers daughter fatally stabbed in St. Albert
He briefly left the room, during which time Brooklyn crawled under her bed and tried to call 911, but Randall returned too quickly. He flipped the mattress, found the girl, and began violently assaulting the girl again.
The girl described her mom's partner as 'looking crazy, breathing heavily, growling, and having eyes that were huge.' The statement of facts said he didn't say anything during the attack.
At some point during the assault, his knife broke into pieces. Brooklyn then pretended to be dead, and Randall left the home and drove away.
The attacks on both girls lasted about five minutes from start to finish.
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As soon as she could no longer hear her attacker in the house, Brooklyn went downstairs to find Jaeden laying on the floor, severely injured but still alive.
Shortly after, a friend Jaeden had invited over arrived, saw the girls covered in blood and severely injured, and called police.
RCMP arrived to find Jaeden collapsed on the front lawn with deep stab wounds on her body. The officers jumped in to apply tourniquets and pressure on her wounds to stop the bleeding while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
Both girls were taken to the Stollery Children's Hospital, but Jaeden's injuries were too severe and she had lost a lot of blood. She went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance.
The 17-year-old suffered 14 more minor cuts, lacerations and stab wounds to her hands and arms, and seven more major stab wounds: three on the right of her neck, two on her shoulder, one hear her right clavicle, and one to the back of her head. One of the wounds damaged her carotid artery, which led to a great deal of blood loss and deprived her brain of oxygen.
Brooklyn's physical injuries to her head, neck, shoulders and thorax were less severe and she was discharged from the hospital the next day.
Despite several surgeries and procedures to keep Jaeden alive, she was taken off life support two days after the attack and died in hospital on July 20, 2024.
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Her cause of death was multiple sharp force stabbing injuries.
1:07
Man facing murder charge after one of two St. Albert teen stabbing victims dies
After leaving the scene of the attack, Randall got into his car and drove away erratically, glancing off another nearby building as he went down the alley.
He sent a text to his partner, saying he loved her. As he drove down Ray Gibbon Drive out of St. Albert towards Edmonton, he threw his phone out the window into the ditch. It was found by police the next day.
Randall went to his mom's home in Edmonton. The next day, she saw the arrest warrant for her son in the news and questioned him, to which he said, 'I think something is wrong with me.'
RCMP found him there on the day Jaeden died and arrested him without incident.
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A family grieving, but still tight-knit
In court on Thursday, Brooklyn stood and said she looked up to Jaeden as a sister.
Nicole Chaisson, Jaeden's mom and Brooklyn's aunt, said the two teens would FaceTime every morning as they got ready for school. Brooklyn would spend weekends at her house, and Jaeden would go to Kayla's.
'We're a very, very close family,' Nicole said. 'It's not like we're all doing our own thing.
'We all do it all together, the girls were just the next generation of the sisters doing it all together again. And you can definitely see that part — it's left a big hole in Brooklyn.'
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Click to share quote on Twitter: "We all do it all together, the girls were just the next generation of the sisters doing it all together again. And you can definitely see that part — it's left a big hole in Brooklyn."
Nicole said she and her sister, Kayla, have remained close in spite of the horror their family has endured.
'She was just as much a victim in this as anybody else. I love my sister very much,' said Nicole.
Randall pleaded guilty and waived his right to a trial.
The defence said Randall was experiencing drug-induced psychosis when attacked the teens, and added he had no motive for the crime.
Through tears, Randall stood and told the courtroom, 'I'm sorry for all the pain this has caused, I didn't want any of this.'
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In the courtroom, Justice Cheryl Arcand-Kootenauy sentenced Randall to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years.
He also has a concurrent sentence of seven years for the attack on Brooklyn.
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Global News
7 hours ago
- Global News
Man sentenced to life for cocaine-induced stabbing death of St. Albert teen
WARNING: The details of this story may be disturbing to some readers. On Thursday, Kaj Alexander Randall pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for a stabbing that killed a 17-year-old girl and injured a 13-year-old girl in July 2024. The brutal attack happened in the girl's home in St. Albert last summer with a father figure they trusted. Jaeden Chaisson was stabbed to death on July 18, 2024 in a townhouse in the Riverside area of the city directly north of Edmonton. Due to the age of the victims, there was a publication ban protecting the identity of the 13-year-old girl. But on Thursday in court, now-14-year-old Brooklyn Janes fought to remove the ban on her identity. This follows the decision by the fatal stabbing victim's mother and Brooklyn's aunt, Nicole Chaisson, to remove the publication ban from her daughter's name earlier in the court case. Story continues below advertisement 'We weren't allowed to talk about [Jaeden], we were not allowed to show her face, but I want people to know what a beautiful person she was, the smile that she showed us all the time, this is who she was,' said Chaisson. 'This is what she needs to be remembered for, not for how she left us. So, I just want to honour the better parts of her story as opposed to the horrific ending that she had.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is what she needs to be remembered for, not for how she left us. So, I just want to honour the better parts of her story as opposed to the horrific ending that she had." '[Brooklyn] hasn't had that inside of her for over a year now, so for her to make that decision for herself to come back, even just a little bit, it means a lot to us, gives us a little more hope for her.' According to an agreed statement of facts, before the day of the attack, Randall had been a loving spouse to Kayla Chaisson and a loving father figure to Brooklyn Janes. He had never been aggressive or violent towards either of the teens. Randall, his common-law partner, Kayla Chaisson and her 13-year-old daughter Brooklyn had all lived together as a family for three years, and 17-year-old Jaeden moved in with her aunt and cousin a few weeks before the attack. View image in full screen Jaeden Chaisson, 17. Credit / GoFundMe On July 18th, 2024, 28-year-old Randall got off work and went to Kayla's work, where she was on shift, and had a beer while visiting with her. The agreed statement of facts said she didn't notice anything unusual about his behaviour or mood. Story continues below advertisement After that, he left her workplace, bought some cocaine and returned to the home, while Kayla was still at work. They had a 10-minute phone call about an hour and a half later, during which Kayla also talked to her daughter and described both her partner and child as happy. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy After that, things took a terrible turn. WARNING: Graphic details ahead Randall went into their ensuite bathroom on the top floor of the three-story home and snorted some of the cocaine he'd bought around 10 p.m. He then called Kayla again, but this time she noted his voice was unusually monotone and he sounded 'off' enough that she wrapped up work and left to go home. About five minutes later, Randall, armed with a kitchen knife, was down on the home's middle floor living area. He began stabbing Jaeden repeatedly in the head, neck, chest, and arms as she screamed for him to stop. Jaeden was stabbed a total of 21 times. Brooklyn was in her bedroom upstairs talking to a friend on the phone when she overheard Jaeden screaming. She hung up. She didn't know what was happening downstairs but could hear her cousin in pain. Brooklyn went to her bedroom door and tried to hold it shut, but Randall forced his way in. Story continues below advertisement He started to violently attacking the 13-year-old: stabbing, punching, kicking, and throwing her. She sustained at least 12 stab wounds. 1:52 Heartbroken mother remembers daughter fatally stabbed in St. Albert He briefly left the room, during which time Brooklyn crawled under her bed and tried to call 911, but Randall returned too quickly. He flipped the mattress, found the girl, and began violently assaulting the girl again. The girl described her mom's partner as 'looking crazy, breathing heavily, growling, and having eyes that were huge.' The statement of facts said he didn't say anything during the attack. At some point during the assault, his knife broke into pieces. Brooklyn then pretended to be dead, and Randall left the home and drove away. The attacks on both girls lasted about five minutes from start to finish. Story continues below advertisement As soon as she could no longer hear her attacker in the house, Brooklyn went downstairs to find Jaeden laying on the floor, severely injured but still alive. Shortly after, a friend Jaeden had invited over arrived, saw the girls covered in blood and severely injured, and called police. RCMP arrived to find Jaeden collapsed on the front lawn with deep stab wounds on her body. The officers jumped in to apply tourniquets and pressure on her wounds to stop the bleeding while waiting for paramedics to arrive. Both girls were taken to the Stollery Children's Hospital, but Jaeden's injuries were too severe and she had lost a lot of blood. She went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance. The 17-year-old suffered 14 more minor cuts, lacerations and stab wounds to her hands and arms, and seven more major stab wounds: three on the right of her neck, two on her shoulder, one hear her right clavicle, and one to the back of her head. One of the wounds damaged her carotid artery, which led to a great deal of blood loss and deprived her brain of oxygen. Brooklyn's physical injuries to her head, neck, shoulders and thorax were less severe and she was discharged from the hospital the next day. Despite several surgeries and procedures to keep Jaeden alive, she was taken off life support two days after the attack and died in hospital on July 20, 2024. Story continues below advertisement Her cause of death was multiple sharp force stabbing injuries. 1:07 Man facing murder charge after one of two St. Albert teen stabbing victims dies After leaving the scene of the attack, Randall got into his car and drove away erratically, glancing off another nearby building as he went down the alley. He sent a text to his partner, saying he loved her. As he drove down Ray Gibbon Drive out of St. Albert towards Edmonton, he threw his phone out the window into the ditch. It was found by police the next day. Randall went to his mom's home in Edmonton. The next day, she saw the arrest warrant for her son in the news and questioned him, to which he said, 'I think something is wrong with me.' RCMP found him there on the day Jaeden died and arrested him without incident. Story continues below advertisement A family grieving, but still tight-knit In court on Thursday, Brooklyn stood and said she looked up to Jaeden as a sister. Nicole Chaisson, Jaeden's mom and Brooklyn's aunt, said the two teens would FaceTime every morning as they got ready for school. Brooklyn would spend weekends at her house, and Jaeden would go to Kayla's. 'We're a very, very close family,' Nicole said. 'It's not like we're all doing our own thing. 'We all do it all together, the girls were just the next generation of the sisters doing it all together again. And you can definitely see that part — it's left a big hole in Brooklyn.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We all do it all together, the girls were just the next generation of the sisters doing it all together again. And you can definitely see that part — it's left a big hole in Brooklyn." Nicole said she and her sister, Kayla, have remained close in spite of the horror their family has endured. 'She was just as much a victim in this as anybody else. I love my sister very much,' said Nicole. Randall pleaded guilty and waived his right to a trial. The defence said Randall was experiencing drug-induced psychosis when attacked the teens, and added he had no motive for the crime. Through tears, Randall stood and told the courtroom, 'I'm sorry for all the pain this has caused, I didn't want any of this.' Story continues below advertisement In the courtroom, Justice Cheryl Arcand-Kootenauy sentenced Randall to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years. He also has a concurrent sentence of seven years for the attack on Brooklyn.
Global News
11 hours ago
- Global News
Caught on video: B.C. cyclist says motorcyclist pushed him, causing crash
Keihachi Ishikawa loves to ride along the abandoned E&N Railway line on Vancouver Island. The 78-year-old even made a special rig for his bike to do it. 'There's a lot of fun, you know, like nobody on the track and nice and quiet, you know, you can see the birds and the rabbits and you know there's lot of wild animals right out there,' he told Global News. However, on Aug. 2, when he was returning to his home and turning left on Departure Bay Road, he said three people on motorcycles were behind him and he felt someone shove him on his shoulder. 'Guy yelled at me, 'Get off the F road' and then push me so hard,' Ishikawa said. 'So that's what had happened. I stayed on the right-hand side of the road all the way down to that point and then crossed the Departure Way Road in order to turn left. I did not cut him off or anything like that. I was just about to turn to the left, that's what happened.' Story continues below advertisement Ishikawa said it happened so fast. 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Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Anderson said the victim did not say much at the time. 'He didn't talk much, he just looked kind of defeated and upset,' he said. 'He refused to call an ambulance, but there were two nurses on site there, so he's in good hands. I don't know if he had a concussion or what, but he was just a little banged up.' Const. Sherri Wade with Nanaimo RCMP confirmed to Global News that around 8:15 p.m. on Aug. 2, a cyclist called them to say he had been pushed by a motorcyclist and ended up falling onto the curb. She said he was travelling down Departure Bay Road and three motorcyclists were behind him. 'He was trying to turn left and he was pushed and his bike, he lost his balance and he ended up crossing into oncoming traffic and then fell (up) the curb,' Wade said. 'He had, thankfully, he only had minor scrapes. And a little bit of rash burn, but he was able to walk away.' Wade said they have had cases before between cyclists and motorists but not between a cyclist and a motorcyclist. Story continues below advertisement 'Because the video was turned over to the police and also put on social media, we did get numerous calls where people recognized the motorcycles,' she added. 'So the police were able to identify the owner of the motorcycle, and he actually spoke to the police. He called in to the detachment on Aug. 3 because he had seen the video, and he said he was not aware that the person had fallen, that he put out his hand to avoid a collision, and it was only when he saw the video on social media that he realized the cyclist had fallen. So he called in himself and provided his name and phone number.' Marcel Trudeau, who used to run Abbies Corner Store in Nanaimo, confirmed to Global News he was riding with his kids at the time. He declined an interview but claimed the cyclist shot right in front of him and cut him off, causing him to slam his brakes. He said he put his hand up and touched the cyclist to avoid a collision. Trudeau also claimed he was not aware the cyclist fell over until he saw the video on social media. 2:11 Safety concerns at Vancouver intersection 'That is a big freaking big lie,' Ishikawa said. Story continues below advertisement 'It's just a lie, out lie. He tried to get away from what he did. I made this rig. My first design criteria is not to impede the traffic and the Departure Way Road is wide enough, even if I'm on a left-hand side road, even big trucks can pass me and a motorcycle, there's no problem, none whatsoever.' Last April, the B.C. government made several updates to the Motor Vehicle Act, including a new minimum distance of one metre that drivers must maintain when passing cyclists and other vulnerable road users. That distance increases to 1.5 meters on highways with a posted speed limit above 50 km/h. 'As cyclists, we do need to act as if we're a vehicle, but we also need to be very aware of our situation and our surroundings and act as people can't see us,' Wade said. 'And I always recommend that cyclists never assume that someone knows what you're going do. Because usually the driver's not thinking about it or maybe has only seen you at the last minute. So we wanna drive like we are a vehicle on the road, but we are not, and we are much more vulnerable.' Megan Stokes is a lifelong cyclist and loves biking on Vancouver Island. She drove by with her kids right after Ishikawa crashed. Story continues below advertisement 'It was pretty heart-wrenching to think somebody would do that to somebody,' she told Global News. Stokes said other vehicles on the road sometimes give cyclists a lot of space and some do not. 'Just completely senseless, like, you know, constantly in the news, there's accidents between bikers and cars and it's hard,' she said. 'People want to get out and be active and be on their bikes and that's safety for them and you know the cars that can't wait the 30 seconds to pass you, who've got to blow by, it's scary sometimes.' Ishikawa said he is thankful he was wearing a helmet and so many people stopped to help. '(In) less than a minute there's a whole bunch of people around me, you know, helping me and then I couldn't thank enough for those people,' he said. 'I believe in the society, I live in a good city, a few bad apples like this sucker, you know, do bad things.' RCMP is investigating the incident and no charges have been laid.
Global News
12 hours ago
- Global News
Lake Country, B.C. farm stand operating on the honour system raided
A quiet act of trust was recently broken at a Lake Country farm stand. With cash in hand, local shopper Linda Seeley makes her purchases at B&T Orchards using what's known as the honour system — a model where no staff are present and customers pay on their own. 'They put their trust in people,' she said. 'And to see someone violate that trust ruins it for everybody.' Earlier this week, that trust was tested when the farm stand at B&T Orchards was raided. Owner Mike Mitchell said it was clear something was wrong when he stopped by. 'We came Monday afternoon and noticed that the inventory was slightly reduced — or greatly reduced. When we did the count, which we do once a day, it didn't add up.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy More than $100 worth of produce was stolen, but for Mitchell, it's not about the money. Story continues below advertisement 'At the end of the day, $100 is $100 worth of hard labour that me and my workers put in. We take pride in that. It's the violation of honesty.' The stand, open 24-7 and stocked with fruits, vegetables and baked goods, operates entirely on the honour system. 'We're not paying wages (to oversee the stand) — we're simply producing the fruits and vegetables that we grow here on the farm,' Mitchell explained. 'It keeps the cost down for everyone.' This is the first time someone has taken advantage of the system, but it may not be the last. Mitchell says the incident is forcing him to reconsider how the stand operates. 'If it happens once a week, we'll be out of business. We'll either have to close down or staff it. And if we staff it, it'll limit the hours that it's open.' Seeley hopes that doesn't happen. 'It's pretty crappy,' she said. 'You've got good people doing good things in the community.' For now, the stand remains open with the hope that the next visitor chooses to pay, so locals like Seeley can continue supporting local food at an affordable price.
