BRANDON, Man. — A teen has pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the 2007 shooting deaths of his adoptive mother and four-year-old sister near St. Lazare, Man.
A sister of the murdered woman broke down in tears once the 16-year-old boy, who remains in custody pending a future sentencing hearing, was led from the courtroom in Brandon, Man.
Crown prosecutor Joanne Maynard told court the boy’s father returned home to find his 43-year-old wife and young daughter lying dead on the floor, their bodies covered with a blanket.
His son, who was 14 at the time, emerged from a back room, clutching a .22-calibre rifle.
Father and son briefly struggled over the weapon. The father couldn’t disarm the boy, but managed to remove the bullets from the rifle.
The father then fled and drove to a nearby home to call police. The youth surrendered two hours later.
Maynard said a pathologist later determined that mother and daughter died from gunshot wounds to their heads.
When questioned by Justice Robert Cummings, the youth agreed he fired the shots that killed his mother and sister.
However, he indicated that he didn’t mean to kill the victims, even though he said he realized the victims would likely be harmed by the shots.
Cummings also noted that Maynard has applied to have the boy sentenced as an adult.
After the hearing, defence lawyer Bob Harrison said he’ll oppose the Crown’s move, since he wants to have his client sentenced as a youth.