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Delburne man appeals conviction for murdering wife

A man found guilty of first-degree murder for shooting his estranged wife is appealing.

RED DEER — A man found guilty of first-degree murder for shooting his estranged wife is appealing.

But it’s not clear what reasons Brian Volker of Delburne in central Alberta will cite in challenging his conviction.

Volker, who is 50, was sentenced last month to life in prison with no chance at parole for 23 years.

Debi Volker was found shot in the head in the bedroom of her Delburne home in February 2009 after she left him.

Volker, who was 44 when she died, was a teacher’s assistant at the local school.

The case is to be spoken to before the Alberta Court of Appeal in November.

The defence argued at the farmer’s trial that he had taken five sleeping pills around the time his wife was shot and didn’t remember anything.

But Crown lawyers said Volker’s suicide note proved he planned to kill his wife out of revenge for leaving him, then commit suicide by overdosing.

The couple’s son testified that he saw his father in his mother’s bedroom the night of the murder holding a shortened firearm.