A man from Windsor involved in a deadly attack on an unarmed individual and who later assisted in moving the body to northern Ontario has been sentenced to nine and a half years behind bars.
Colin Lusk, then 27, received his sentence on Tuesday from Ontario Court Justice Mikolaj Bazylko after admitting guilt to manslaughter in connection with the death of David Pavao, aged 37.
During the sentencing, Bazylko characterized the killing as a very serious crime, noting that Pavao had “senselessly lost his life.”
The judge remarked that this case was “closer to the.. murder end” of the spectrum for manslaughter rather than an accidental death.
David Pavao was attacked at a Windsor residence on Aug. 14, 2025, after arriving there due to car trouble and needing a place to stay overnight. (Submitted by Windsor Police Service)
However, Bazylko noted that Lusk had a secondary but still active role compared to his co-accused, who was described as “the driving force behind this killing.”
This distinction lowered Lusk’s moral blameworthiness according to the judge but didn’t lessen the severity of his actions.
The sentence fell within the eight-to-12-year range for aggravated manslaughter set by Ontario Court of Appeal decisions. The Crown requested an 11-year prison term while the defense asked for eight years minus credit for time already served.
Lusk received credit for 522 days spent in pre-sentence custody, which leaves him with about eight years remaining to serve.
‘Unprovoked’ assault on defenseless victim
Pavao was attacked at a residence in Windsor on Aug. 14, 2025, after he sought shelter there due to car issues.
According to court facts accepted during proceedings, Lusk and another individual participated in a two-on-one attack. Bazylko stated that this assault was “unprovoked” and seemed planned since Pavao was targeted over drugs.
The judge pointed out that Pavao had no weapons and endured repeated strikes over an extended period using items like a ball-peen hammer and steel baseball bat.
“The victim was defenceless against this attack,” Bazylko said.
Lusk left without getting medical help for Pavao afterward; instead he helped move Pavao’s body northward for disposal.
Authorities found Pavao’s remains last October near Black River-Matheson Township east of Timmins. His identity was confirmed through DNA testing following forensic examination by Windsor police in January.
Bazylko mentioned that decomposition made it necessary to use DNA testing for identifying Pavao’s body.
In sentencing, aggravating factors included how they disposed of the body, the lengthy nature of the assault itself, and its devastating impact on Pavao’s family as noted by the judge.
