Saskatoon man guilty of 2nd-degree murder in spouse's stabbing death
A judge has found a Saskatoon man guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his spouse.
Tammy Brown was stabbed more than 80 times in her home. Blake Schreiner admitted to the killing, but pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
Schreiner testified he heard voices telling him to kill Brown, with the defence’s psychiatrist diagnosing him with a schizophrenia-type disorder.
Justice Ronald Mills said he had “great difficulty” with Schreiner's testimony in court and information he provided to the defence psychiatrist.
Crown Prosecutor Mel Kujawa said Schreiner made up the mental disorder symptoms.
“Mr. Schreiner tried to claim this was something that it wasn’t. He created a diagnosis, and therefore insulted all the people who have genuine mental health disorders,” Kujawa said.
The Crown argued problems in the couple’s relationship, and Schreiner’s fears about a custody battle over their kids fuelled the killing.
“There was no way he was going to let her have [the kids], so he makes the irrational decision to kill her,” Kujawa said.
EXPLANATION 'MAKES NO SENSE'
Schreiner had testified he heard voices to kill his daughter before Brown, but he fell asleep.
The judge questioned how he could ignore the voices telling him to kill his daughter, but not the voices to kill Brown.
“His explanation that he fell asleep … makes no sense,” the judge said.
“The evidence leads me to conclude that this was an impulsive act.”
Schreiner wore a suit, staring at the judge as he read the verdict.
“It’s definitely disappointing. It’s not what we were hoping for,” defence lawyer Brad Mitchell told reporters outside the courthouse.
Second-degree murder holds a life sentence in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years.
'EVERYBODY LOVED TAMMY'
Brown’s father, Bruce, said while the family was hoping for first-degree, they were pleased with second-degree murder.
“I know Tammy would be happy,” the victim’s father said.
Brown is being remembered as a hardworking teacher at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and a mother who loved her two kids.
Schreiner testified her last words were “Mommy loves you” when the kids came into the room during the stabbing.
“Everybody loved Tammy. Plain and simple,” Bruce said — referring to her family, friends and students.
The Crown and defence will argue when Schreiner should be eligible for parole during sentencing in August.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.