A man who stabbed another man to death at least 52 times to the horror of onlookers has died in prison, says the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).
Gerald Leslie Dolman pleaded guilty on Oct. 10, 2017, to what B.C. Supreme Court Justice Palbinder Kaur Shergill called the senseless and brutal killing of 49‑year‑old father and grandfather Robert Thomas Splitt on May 3, 2016.
“The outcome of uncontrolled anger and rage on the part of Mr. Dolman has brought him before this court,” Shergill said as she sentenced him.
Dolman, who was 72 at the time of his death, was in a sexual and longstanding relationship with Rebecca Burns, a sex trade worker and Splitt's girlfriend.
“Though Mr. Dolman and Mr. Splitt were aware of each other, they did not socialize or otherwise interact with each other,” Shergill said.
Dolman gave Burns gifts, sometimes looked after her children and bought them toys.
“Dolman was in large part a beneficial person in Ms. Burns' life,” Shergill said.
On the day of the killing, Dolman returned home after visiting his ailing mother to find that approximately $600 had gone missing from his home. Burns had spent the night with him, but was no longer in the residence upon his arrival.
“She had left sometime earlier, having been picked up from the residence by Mr. Splitt,” Shergill said.
The judge concluded Splitt had stolen the money and suggested to someone he was going to kill Splitt.
“Mr. Dolman felt betrayed,” Shergill said. “He concluded that he had been used by Ms. Burns throughout their relationship and that she and Mr. Splitt were operating as a team to steal from him.”
Soon after, Dolman spotted Splitt's vehicle. Burns was in the passenger seat. He followed at high speed, hitting a cyclist. Soon after, Dolman’s actions also caused a multi-vehicle collision in the same vicinity.
Splitt pulled into a Save-On-Foods parking lot.
“Mr. Dolman immediately pulled up behind him, exited his own vehicle, and ran up to Mr. Splitt's car,” Shergill said. “He began stabbing Mr. Splitt with a knife through the window of Mr. Splitt's vehicle.”
Burns fled the scene through the passenger door.
Splitt attempted to escape by getting out of his car but was unsuccessful. He fell to the ground and Dolman continued stabbing him.
Witnesses at the scene flagged down a passing police officer.
“Upon the police officer's arrival, he observed Mr. Dolman standing on top of Mr. Splitt. Mr. Dolman was holding a knife in his hands and was covered in blood,” Shergill said.
“Although the police officer was a trained emergency response team medic, his attempts to save Mr. Splitt's life were unsuccessful. So, too, were the efforts of the paramedics who arrived by ambulance,” she said.
Splitt died at the scene.
Dolman died Sept. 24 at Pacific Institution in Abbotsford.
CSC said he had been serving an indeterminate sentence while Shergill had sentenced him to life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 11 years.
As in all cases involving the death of an inmate, CSC will review the circumstances. The coroner has been notified.
