Sentencing delayed in Melfort manslaughter case
A woman found guilty of manslaughter in the death a 70-year-old James Smith Cree Nation man will have to wait until January while a judge determines her sentence.
Candace Gail Moostoos, 36, was found guilty of manslaughter by a Melfort jury on Oct. 6. Although she was initially charged with second-degree murder, the jury chose to find her guilty of the lesser charge.
Moostoos stabbed Alpheus Burns to death at his residence May 18 last year after Burns allegedly sexually assaulted her.
At a sentencing hearing held today, Dec. 9, at Melfort’s Court of Queen’s Bench each side recommended a sentence on the opposite ends of the scale. Defense lawyer Mary McAuley called for a sentence of four years plus probation while Crown prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk pushed for a sentence of eight to 10 years.