Jealous London, Ont. man pleads guilty to killing wife with axe in front of their kids
The victim’s screams could be heard in the background of the 911 call
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The victim’s screams could be heard in the background of the 911 call.
On the phone was her teenage son who, along with his sister, had just seen their father striking their mother repeatedly with an axe in the basement of their north London home.
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The children were out of the house when London police got there within minutes. Officers called out that they were there as they entered the home.
“The accused came up from the basement and blood was observed on the accused’s body and clothing,” assistant Crown attorney Kristina Mildred told Superior Court Justice Joseph Perfetto on Tuesday, when the man, 55, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
A court-ordered publication ban is in place that covers anything that could identify the children, which would include the identities of their parents.
Mildred outlined the case in an agreed statement facts from the Crown and the defence.
At the heart of the case was the man’s belief that his wife had been cheating on him. In the months before he killed her, he suspected she had been unfaithful and questioned the paternity of their son.
He went through old electronic devices that had belonged to his wife or contained her data. He copied various documents and asked about how to get a paternity test.
On March 12, 2022 at 6:19 p.m., the couple was in the basement of the house. Their son was on the main floor and heard his mother call out her husband’s name and then some “thumping.” Their daughter also heard her mother yell.
The children went to the basement and “observed their father striking their mother with an axe repeatedly,” Milidred said.
The son called 911 with his mother’s cries heard in the background. The children left the house.
The police arrived at the residence at 6:28 p.m. They went into the house and after seeing the man with blood on him, arrested him for murder. He indicated he wanted to speak to a lawyer but would require a translator.
Two officers went down into the basement and found the woman lying lifeless on the floor with severe injuries to her neck. A blood-covered hatchet was located near her body.
The officers attempted life-saving measures and paramedics arrived just minutes after police got there.
The woman was pronounced dead at the house. She had injuries to various parts of her upper body, head and neck.
“The cause of death was multiple sharp-force trauma as a result of the accused repeatedly striking the victim in the neck with an axe,” Mildred told Perfetto.
A conviction for second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence. What still has to be decided is the man’s parole ineligibility term – how much time he must serve before he can apply for parole – which can be set from 10 years to 25 years
The man’s sentencing hearing is set to be heard on May 6.
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