Jason MacRae has admitted in court to killing his wife Paula
Gallant, a Timberlea elementary school teacher and mother of one, over a $700 gambling debt.
MacRae pleaded guilty Wednesday morning at Nova Scotia
Supreme Court in Halifax
to second-degree murder in the death of Gallant, found dead in the trunk of her
car on Dec. 28, 2005.
In the afternoon, he was sentenced to life in prison, with no eligibility for parole for 15 years.
The court heard the cause of death was asphyxiation by strangulation.
In an agreed statement of facts, the court heard an undercover cop befriended MacRae and he confessed everything to the officer on how he killer her.
The court heard they fought a lot and on Dec. 27, 2005 between 2 and 2:30 p.m., MacRae – over an argument about his $700 gambling debt on a Visa card – hit Gallant over
the back of the head with a two-by-four as she worked on a computer in the couple’s basement. He then strangled her using both hands and then put plastic wrap
around her head to see if she was still breathing.
After then going to feed their one-year-old daughter Anna, the statement of facts reads MacRae took Gallant’s wrapped-up body to her car, and then drove the Chevrolet Cavalier to BLT school, where he left the car and her body before rushing home, where the daughter was left alone.
The 37-year-old MacRae was originally charged with
first-degree murder and was to appear in court Wednesday to set dates for
trial. However, now that a second-degree murder plea has been accepted, the
court is now moving on to the sentencing phase, which should include victim
impact statements.
