Ronald Candaele was convicted of murder, but the Court of Appeal found it was manslaughter.
Running over his wife and leaving her to die “like a bag of garbage” should land a Calgary man up to 18 years in prison, a prosecutor argued Friday.
But the lawyer for Ronald Candaele said a sentence on the lower end of a six- to 10-year range would be an appropriate punishment for manslaughter in the Feb. 10, 2020 death of his new bride, Melissa Rae Blommaert.
Defence counsel Kim Ross told Justice Blair Nixon the circumstances of Blommaert’s death was the result of spontaneous conduct by his client, unlike other cases of manslaughter involving prolonged assaults.
“On the night in question what we have is a situation that escalated … in a very short period of time,” Ross said.
But Crown prosecutor Robert Marquette highlighted the fact Blommaert was a vulnerable victim and her death was the culmination of repeated acts of domestic violence committed by Candaele.
“The killing of Ms. Blommaert was the killing of a spouse, a heinous act of domestic violence,” Marquette said, in proposing a sentence in the range of 15 to 18 years.
He told Nixon courts have recognized spousal violence has a “horrific impact on women of all walks of life.”
Marquette noted Candaele was under a court order to have no contact with Blommaert, despite their marriage shortly before the time of her killing.
The appeal court substituted a manslaughter conviction and sent the case back to Nixon for resentencing. The Court of King’s Bench judge had handed Candaele an automatic life sentence and ordered him held a minimum 16 years before he could be paroled.
Marquette said despite the ruling finding Candaele guilty of the reduced charge his conduct still amounted to a “near murder.”
He said there were multiple aggravating factors justifying a sentence in the range he proposed.
“The offender left Ms. Blommaert in the middle of the street … like a bag of garbage,” he said, noting a witness who came upon her corpse originally though it was trash.
He also suggested Candaele had no remorse for his conduct, telling the author of Gladue report into his Indigenous background he was saddened by the loss of his wife, but took no responsibility for her killing.
Ross replied his client was remorseful.
“In terms of lack of remorse I do disagree with my friend,” he said.
“He is remorseful and, as he says, he’s got to live with this every day,” Ross said, as Candaele began weeping in the prisoner’s box.
And Ross said although his client was in violation of a no-contact order, it was with the consent of Blommaert who had taken him back.
“During this period of time Mr. Candaele and Ms. Blommaert got married.”
Nixon will hand down his sentence later this month.
X: @KMartinCourts