Ont. man who stabbed stranger, threatened to kill the man’s wife sentenced for ‘unprovoked attack’

An Orillia, Ont. man who admitted to stabbing a stranger and threatening to kill the man’s wife, will be spending the next two years in custody.

An Orillia, Ont. man who admitted to stabbing a stranger and threatening to kill the man’s wife for staring at him, will be spending the next two years in custody.

Madison Quinn, 27, was sentenced by Justice Michael Harpur to 23 months after pleading guilty last week to the aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Quinn, now 27, admitted to threatening to kill the man’s wife, Hollee Cahill, who told CTV News Quinn yelled at her and threatened to kill her unborn child because she and her friend stared at him when he was drunk and hunched over outside a motel on July 20, 2025.

• Orillia man pleads guilty in summer stabbing

The court heard Quinn stabbed Cahill’s partner, Ryan Lawes, after he intervened and asked Quinn to apologize to his spouse. Quinn admitted to stabbing Lawes four times in the abdomen, rib cage, and chest outside the motel along West Street, where they had been staying that weekend to host a baby shower. Cahill was 37 weeks pregnant with their daughter when her husband was attacked and rushed to hospital. Lawes was airlifted to St. Mike’s in Toronto where he developed a flesh-eating bacteria and doctors feared he might not make it.

• Man airlifted to trauma centre after possible stabbing in Orillia, 2 arrested

Lawes told the court in a victim impact statement that he will “continue living with the physical, emotional, and psychological consequences of that night” for the rest of his life. As part of an Agreed Statement of Facts, Quinn admitted to stabbing Lawes with his four-inch fishing knife, fearing for his safety when Lawes confronted him and “got in his face.”

• Defence asks for six more months in jail for Orillia man who stabbed stranger last summer

The Crown sought a sentence of three more years behind bars after factoring in time spent in pre-sentence custody. The defence had asked for a shorter sentence of six more in jail. Quinn, who fled the scene after the attack, has been in custody since his arrest later that night.

His lawyer, Will Caven, characterized the stabbing as “emotion poorly influenced by alcohol.” The court considered letters of support for Quinn by loved ones who said he had a rough upbringing plagued by instability, mental health, and addiction issues.

Quinn apologized to the Lawes family during sentencing, telling them he was truly remorseful. Upon his release from custody in about two years, Quinn will be placed on probation and is not to communicate with the Lawes family.