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Alberta woman pleads guilty to manslaughter in partner’s shooting death

Aug 31, 2020 | 9:41 AM

EDMONTON — An Alberta woman who was granted a new trial by the Supreme Court of Canada has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the fatal shooting of her domestic partner.

Deborah Doonanco, who is 58, was initially found guilty of second-degree murder, arson and interfering with human remains after Kevin Feland’s body was found in her home in Glendon, Alta., in May 2014.

She was sentenced to life in prison, but appealed her conviction to the Alberta Court of Appeal, which dismissed it.

A dissenting opinion by one of the three judges gave Doonanco automatic leave to go to the Supreme Court, which granted an appeal in February.

An agreed statement of facts says that the relationship between Doonanco and Feland was characterized by abuse.

A joint submission by the Crown and defence lawyers is recommending an eight-year sentence, with four years of credit for time served.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2020

The Canadian Press