Two and a half years of waiting for a trial was decided in two and a half hours on Tuesday morning, as the jury found Deborah Doonanco guilty of second degree murder in the death of her common-law husband Kevin Feland.
Two and a half years of waiting for a trial was decided in two and a half hours on Tuesday morning, as the jury found Deborah Doonanco guilty of second degree murder in the 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 time since her father's death in May, 2014 have been “chaotic&” and have affected not just her, but Feland's large extended family.
The Crown and defense lawyers had made their closing submissions the day before, with the jury entering deliberations at the start of Tuesday morning, Nov. 29. 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 guilty of second degree murder. The jury also found her guilty on two separate charges, one of arson and one of indecently interfering with human remains.
In addition to Chloe, the courtroom was filled with Feland's family members, including his siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins, and their audible sighs of relief filled the courtroom. On the other side of the courtroom, Doonanco's parents were visibly shaken, wiping their tears as they watched their daughter on the stand. Doonanco's face remained fixed, until the Crown 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 carries a sentence of life imprisonment, but 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 made no recommendation, two recommended 10 years, and four recommended 15 years.
A sentencing hearing date has been set for Jan. 16 to 18. Lawyers for both the Crown and defense declined to comment on the case 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 long-time emotional and physical 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-defense.
In the small community of Glendon, many during the trial said they had known both the victim and the defendant.
Chloe noted that she had 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.&”
Among her memories of him were his outgoing nature, his love of quadding and a trip that the pair shared to Ontario, Chloe said, adding, “There's just so much and that's what I'm going to hold onto.&”
