Danielle Lidguerre covers her face as she leaves Prince Albert Court of Queen's Bench on Tuesday. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Court proceedings

Shellbrook woman sentenced in death of common law partner

Feb 12, 2020 | 9:48 AM

A woman who stabbed and killed her common law partner during a heated argument has received an eight year prison sentence.

Danielle Lidguerre, 34, pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter in the death of Lindsay Voyer, 33, in June, 2018. The incident happened at a residence in Shellbrook, where the couple lived with their two young daughters.

“They will always have to live with the fact that their mom killed their dad,” – _{victim impact statement.}

According to the statements of facts read in court Tuesday by Crown Prosecutor Elizabeth Addabor, Lidguerre had initially told police two masked men had come barging into the house, and had stabbed Voyer after stealing his wallet. Lidguerre had also been the one who placed the initial 9-1-1 call, crying “hysterically” on the phone.

The wallet however was located by police on Voyer’s “person” and the subsequent investigation revealed no signs of forced entry. The murder weapon, a kitchen knife, was later located in a neighbour’s yard.

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When confronted with the evidence the following month, Lidguerre confessed to stabbing Voyer once in the upper chest. The injury had penetrated the aorta resulting in a significant loss of blood.

Addabor stated the couple had a history of violence and substance abuse. At the time of the incident, the couple was discussing separation and were arguing over the custody of their children.

Defence lawyer Robert Rooney said there were “no winners in this case”, explaining the young girls had lost both their father and their mother as a result of the incident. On behalf of his client, Rooney also expressed she felt great remorse for what happened, and wished she could turn back the clock.

When asked by Madam Justice N.D. Crooks if she had anything to say, Lidguerre quietly replied “no.” Throughout the proceedings Lidguerre sat slumped over in the prisoner’s box, not once looking back at her own family, or the multiple members of the Voyer family who occupied the last two rows of the gallery.

Victim impact statements

Lindsay Voyer’s “Auntie Bev” spoke on behalf of her family and read three separate emotional statements including one written by the parents. She read the family was fully aware of the couples’ struggles, adding she had personally watched the young girls suffer from the stress in the home.

“Those little babies deserved to live in a home that was free of fighting and drinking. You would leave for days and days and we would cross our fingers and hope you didn’t come back,” she read.

“Auntie Bev” then looked directly at Lidguerre and said the family could never forgive her for what she had done, adding no sentence could ever bring the family justice or give the girls their father back.

“They will never know the feeling of their daddy’s hand in theirs, they will not be able to laugh and play within their daddy, they will always have to live with the fact that their mom killed their dad,” she said.

Sentencing

Prior to rendering her decision, Madam Justice Crooks requested a 30 minute adjournment to review the case. When she returned, she explained after careful consideration she had decided to accept the joint submission but reiterated the defence’s earlier statements regarding the tragedy of the case.

“There is nothing that will help with the damage and the trauma that this offence has caused,” she said, citing the numerous people affected by the case. “Miss Lidguerre that is your legacy”

While Lidguerre received an eight year sentence, she was given credit for the 566 days spent in remand which totalled 849 days with enhanced credit (1.5). Lidguerre must also abide by a 10 year weapons prohibition.

Earlier in the hearing, as part of the joint submission, the defence requested Lidguerre be allowed to spend part of her sentence at a healing lodge so she could access treatment programs for her addictions issues. Justice Crooks said she would make the recommendation as part of her final report.

“Your sobriety is key in your rehabilitation,” she said.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell