The year 2025 in Calgary's courtrooms saw justice served in several high-profile cases, with two separate homicide convictions from the tourist town of Banff standing out as particularly jarring reminders of crime touching even Canada's most picturesque places.
Two Killings That Shattered Banff's Peace
Known globally as the jewel of the Canadian Rockies, Banff was the scene of two brutal stabbings in 2022, the legal conclusions for which unfolded in Calgary courts in 2025. The cases marked the town's first murders in over three decades.
In the first incident, Ethan Enns-Goneau, a well-known local, was fatally stabbed in the early hours of August 5, 2022. The attack occurred inside the popular Dancing Sasquatch bar on Banff Avenue. The convicted killer, John Christopher Arrizza, was sentenced in April 2025. Justice Robert Hall handed Arrizza a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for 12 years.
The sentencing hearing was emotionally charged, with more than two dozen Banff residents, including the mayor, presenting victim impact statements, underscoring the profound effect on the close-knit community.
A Second Tragedy and a Controversial Sentence
Shockingly, less than a month later, a second homicide occurred mere metres from the first. Shortly after midnight on September 3, 2022, Ryden Brogden of Priddis was repeatedly stabbed on Banff Avenue, just outside the same Dancing Sasquatch bar. Brogden was visiting Banff with a friend en route to a fishing trip in British Columbia.
While the killing of Enns-Goneau was described as a shocking act of random violence, the circumstances of Brogden's death differed. The convicted man, John Sproule, was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury in March 2025. The court heard that Sproule, visiting from B.C. with his family, pulled a pocket knife during a physical altercation that began after he asked Brogden for a cigarette.
Although the jury rejected Sproule's claim of self-defence, Justice Johanna Price decided the crime did not merit prison time. Instead, Sproule received a sentence of house arrest and probation, with the judge ruling he had used excessive force in defending himself.
A Broader Look at Calgary's Court Docket
Beyond the Banff cases, Calgary's justice system dealt with numerous other crimes that captured public attention throughout 2025. The city's courtrooms remained busy with a wide array of proceedings, reflecting the ongoing legal challenges in a major urban centre.
The resolutions of these two Banff homicides bookended a year of significant judicial activity, serving as somber milestones for a community unaccustomed to such violence and highlighting the complex nature of justice in cases ranging from random attacks to violent confrontations.
