A trial two and a half years in the making was decided in two and a half hours the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 29. The jury found Glendon resident Deborah Doonanco guilty of second degree murder in the 2014 death of her common-law husband Kevin Feland.
A trial two and a half years in the making was decided in two and a half hours the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 29.
The jury found Glendon resident Deborah Doonanco guilty of second degree murder in the 2014 death of her common-law husband Kevin Feland.
"I'm just happy that justice is being served and she's been - she's guilty. It's a big relief after two and a half years," said Feland's 15-year-old daughter Chloe Truss, noting the years since her father's death have been "chaotic" and have affected not just her, but Feland's large extended family.
At the St. Paul Courthouse, the Crown and defense lawyers made their closing statements on Monday, Nov. 28, with the jury entering deliberations the following morning. By 11:30 a.m., lawyers were notified that the jury had reached a decision.
The courtroom was still as the foreman delivered the verdict that Doonanco was found guilty of second degree murder. They also found her guilty on two separate charges, one of arson and one of indecently interfering with human remains.
There were audible sighs of relief after the verdict was read. In addition to Truss, Feland's family members, including siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins, were in attendance.
On the other side of the courtroom, Doonanco's parents were visibly shaken, wiping away tears as they watched their daughter on the stand. Doonanco's face remained fixed, until the lawyers called for her bail to be revoked and for her to be taken into custody, at which point she wiped her eyes with a tissue.
Being found guilty of second degree murder comes with a life sentence. The judge noted that jurors could make recommendations, if they chose, as to how many years Doonanco should be ineligible for parole, with a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 25 years. Six jurors made no recommendation, two recommended 10 years, and four recommended 15 years.
A hearing date for Doonanco's sentencing has been set for Jan. 16-18, 2017. Lawyers for both the Crown and defense declined to comment at this time.
During the course of the trial, the Crown had contended that Doonanco had shot Feland as he lay on the couch of her home, before lighting the house on fire and calling 911 to report the incident, telling those that arrived on the scene that Feland had started the fire. The defense had claimed that Doonanco was the victim of prolonged abuse, and that Feland had been using crack cocaine in the hours leading up to his death and had threatened to kill Doonanco, with Doonanco shooting him in self-defence.
In the small community of Glendon, many during the trial said they had known both the victim and the defendant.
Truss noted that she had Doonanco as a teacher, but had never been fond of her, saying Doonanco had always seemed to be a "negative" person.
She recalled her father with fondness, saying, "He was a good man - I don't really care what anybody else has to say. He was hard-working, he was dedicated. Everybody has flaws."
Sharing her memories of him following the trail, she recalled his outgoing nature, his love of quadding, and a trip that the pair shared to Ontario.
"There's just so much and that's what I'm going to hold onto."
