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Last November, during an argument with his girlfriend, Machuor Akau grabbed a gun, said he “should just kill you now” and shot her in the face, shattering her jaw and leaving her with life-altering injuries.
Akau pleaded guilty in a Winnipeg courtroom Tuesday to aggravated assault, criminal negligence, possession of a prohibited firearm and careless use of a firearm. The father of the 26-year-old victim, whose identity CBC News is not revealing so as not to identify his daughter, said those charges don’t reflect the nature of the crime.
“He did nothing but leave her to die. He had already smashed her phone so she couldn’t call for help,” the father said about the night of the shooting.
“If that isn’t an attempted murder, I would like to know what an attempted murder charge looks like.”
The agreed statement of facts said Akau and the victim had been dating since June 2025. There were two domestic violence incidents during that time where Akau assaulted his girlfriend. Her father said he was disappointed three of the seven charges against Akau were stayed — the two counts of assault stemming from the earlier domestic disputes and one of forcible confinement.
“So, the Crown would now have us pretend those previous assaults never occurred. And this is the same Crown that is supposedly so tough on domestic violence. But we’re just going to pretend the pattern of his conduct and the previous beatings of my daughter never occurred,” the father said.
Akau and the victim were drinking in a Wellington Crescent apartment on Nov. 2 when he became increasingly paranoid. The two got into an argument, and Akau shot the victim in the side of the head before fleeing.
The victim left the apartment shortly after, walked into the street and waved down a fire truck. The victim wrote down Akau’s name and vehicle description before calling police and being taken to hospital.
The statement of facts said when police arrived, officers followed a blood trail from the street to the apartment. They obtained a search warrant and found a shell casing from the handgun in the suite.
Akau was arrested the next day. According to the statement, he said on the way to police headquarters: “It was an accident that happened. We were drunk. I would never do that. She is the love of my life.”
Winnipeg police outside the Wellington Crescent building in November. Court heard officers followed a blood trail from the street to the apartment. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)
The gun used hasn’t been recovered, and Akau gave police several different statements about where it is. The Crown is seeking eight years for all the charges.
Defence lawyer Saul Simmonds told his client during the plea hearing he could ask for a lesser sentence if he wished.
“But the final decision will not be what the lawyers put forward, but will be that of the sentencing judge at the time this matter goes to submissions,” Simmonds said.
The father said he’s disappointed with the Crown’s conduct in the case because of the stayed charges and what he believes is a “lesser sentence” of eight years.
“Lets talk about the cycle of domestic violence…. the final portion of this cycle of violence is he gets out, he gets the gun, and he finishes the job. Now you’re doing an interview about how this guy killed my daughter,” he said.
The statement said the victim’s injuries were extensive and required several surgeries. She needed a tracheotomy to help her breath, and her jaw was wired shut.
She has scars on her face, has trouble hearing and is managing a lot of pain. Her father said the family has lost all faith in the Manitoba justice system.
“I’ve always been a guy who’s given the justice system the benefit of the doubt and gotten in lots of arguments about it. And then you end up in a situation like this, and you just get so completely let down,” he said.
Akau remains in custody and is due back in court for a pre-sentencing hearing on June 16.