Kemp Cres. manslaughter case concludes with nine year prison sentence

In the early morning hours of July 1, 2024, members of the Prince Albert police service were called to a home on Kemp Cres. for a disturbance and found Norman Wenzel covered in blood. He was transported to hospital and was pronounced deceased roughly half an hour later.

Security cameras showed two men entering the garage where Wenzel was residing, and that’s where the altercation occurred. The altercation lasted about 19 seconds and soon after, Hansen and Quintin Gardiner were observed running off down the back alley. Wenzel in turn, stumbled towards the back door of the home, and his calls for help were responded to by one of his daughters, who opened the door and then called 9-1-1.

Norman Wenzel had four children. (Image Credit: Facebook.)

In January, 2025, Hansen confessed what he had done and was arrested soon after. The court heard Hansen was high on meth and had been drinking whiskey. He had been on a binge for a week on various drugs and alcohol.

Defence lawyer Mike Nolan stated the killing was connected to a drug deal gone bad and men who were highly intoxicated.

“This is not something he intended to happen,” he said, referring to Hansen, adding that the exact catalyst for the altercation remains unclear and there was no indication of a robbery.

“Things just went horribly awry, very quickly.”

Hansen’s criminal record includes a number of weapons-related offences, as well as mischief, break and enter and theft under $5,000. Nolan referenced Hansen’s tough upbringing, which included being placed in foster care at the age of four due to a mother who had a cocaine addiction.

Nolan noted the plan going forward is for Hansen to transfer out of province where he can access better rehabilitation programs and get away from gang influences.

“This has been a very powerful wake-up call for him,” he said.

When provided the opportunity to comment, Hansen declined.

The co-accused, Quinton Gardiner, was sentenced on a similar charge last July, and received a 13 year prison sentence.

A picture taken at the time of the incident. (Image Credit: Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW)

Victim impact statements

As part of Friday’s sentencing hearing, some emotional victim impact statements were read by a resource officer with the Prince Albert Police victims services unit.

Wenzel’s father Jim wrote his son was a good mechanic and was also good at fixing appliances. And despite losing his sight after a stroke suffered years earlier, Norman had shown a will to live and was about to start some classes.

“We didn’t understand why or who could do this.”

The father also acknowledged Norman’s four children and said his son loved to teach the kids new things like cooking and sewing.

“The kids still cry to this day for their dad,” he said.

One of Wenzel’s daughters said her life was deeply impacted by her father’s death and stated she gets emotional thinking about the fact he won’t be there to see her graduate.

Another daughter confirmed she still has issues sleeping.

“I couldn’t get the image of my dad lying out there out of my head,” she said. “It still haunts me to this day.

Quintin Gardiner still awaits trial on a separate manslaughter charge. (Image Credit: Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Statement from Crown Prosecutor Shawn Blackman

Crown prosecutor Shawn Blackman said the case illustrates the tragic consequences and poor decisions associated with illicit drug use.

“The sentence imposed today by the Honourable Court is similar to sentences received by similar offenders in similar circumstances, with denunciation and deterrence being of paramount consideration. That being said, no sentence received by Rylan Hansen could serve to ameliorate the incredible loss experienced by the family of Norman Wenzel,” he said.

When asked about the difference in sentence between Gardiner and Hansen, Blackman, who did not carry the Gardiner matter, said no two cases and no two offenders are identical.

“The sentence imposed in one case is not determinative of a sentence that should be imposed in another. The wide variety of factual scenarios in different offences, whether a given matter is resolved through trial or whether it is resolved by way of guilty plea, and the wide variety in the personal circumstances of an accused, make any direct and simple comparison impossible.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

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by Nigel Maxwell

Kemp Cres. manslaughter case concludes with nine year prison sentence

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