A woman from Ontario, Canada, fatally beat her husband to death just weeks after their wedding. Now, she will remain behind bars for decades.
Ontario Superior Court Judge Cindy MacDonald handed Jodi Wheeler, 58, a life sentence with the possibility of parole for the beating death of her husband, Leo Brunette, 62. Wheeler pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and accepted responsibility for the homicide.
On Sept. 12, 2021, officers responded to a residence on Cherry Street in Chapleau, where Brunette’s body was found in the backyard. An autopsy report showed the victim died as a result of severe trauma caused to his skull by a baseball bat.
Family members described the couple’s relationship as tumultuous and rocky during the sentencing hearing. In addition, Brunette had made an unsuccessful effort to annul the marriage.
The defendant apologized to her former inlaws during the hearing.
“I am deeply sorry for this … I do regret it every day. I too loved Leo and I will continue to love him. And I take full responsibility for taking his life, 100 percent,” said Wheeler to the court, according to The Daily Press.
Though a second-degree murder charge allows a defendant to be eligible for parole between 10 – 25 years, prosecutors and Wheeler’s defense lawyers settled for the imposition of 12 years. As a result, the defendant will be eligible for parole in ten and half years due to a time credit of 516 days since she was incarcerated.
Nevertheless, Macdonald assured the victim’s family that Wheeler’s eligibility for parole does not guarantee her freedom in 10 years.
"My life is never going to be the same after this horrific crime. The crime and its particular viciousness makes me worry about leaving my home. I feel broken, anxious and depressed ... I can't sleep at night," said Brunette's younger sister Karen Perrault, reported CTV News.
Both the defendant and Brunette had been involved in previous marriages.
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