For the second time, Jason McKay stood up in court and heard a sentence handed down of life in prison without a chance of parole for 17 years.
The sentence was given on Tuesday for the stabbing death of McKay’s wife, Jenny, in Regina in 2017.
McKay had originally been tried and convicted of second-degree murder in 2020 and given the same sentence. The conviction was overturned on appeal over arguments that manslaughter wasn’t properly considered and the case was sent back for a new trial.
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Two days before the second trial was set to start last month, McKay pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
McKay’s parole eligibility starts from when he was arrested in September 2017, so there are about seven and a half years left before he could apply for parole.
During his sentencing hearing, it was pointed out that McKay is not a Canadian citizen, so when he is released, he will likely be deported back to Ireland, where he emigrated from when he was a child.
The Crown lawyer, Adam Breker, has asked the court for 18 years before he would be eligible for parole, which is the same sentence the Crown asked for in the first trial.
Mike Nolin, McKay’s defence lawyer, asked for a 12-year sentence.
McKay only spoke a few short sentences to the court when asked if he had anything to say at the end of the sentencing hearing.
“I’m just sorry for this horrific tragedy. I hope that everybody can move on from this. And I think of Jenny every day,” he said.









