UPDATE: Moostoos convicted of manslaughter in Melfort trial
A Melfort woman was convicted of manslaughter in connection to the death of a 70-year-old man last year.
Candace Gail Moostoos, 34, was found guilty by a Melfort jury yesterday, Oct. 6, concluding a trial which ran since Sept. 26. Moostoos was charged with second-degree murder following the 2015 death of Alpheus Burns. The jury found her guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
RCMP initially discovered Burns’ body shortly after midnight on May 18, 2015. Moostoos turned herself in to the Melfort RCMP detachment later that same day.
Moostoos admitted to committing an unlawful act leading to the death of Burns, according to Crown Prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk. Under Canadian law, this is enough to constitute manslaughter. Issues surrounding intent, intoxication and provocation may have motivated the jury to reduce the charge from second-degree murder.