Alberta woman pleads guilty to manslaughter

An Alberta woman who was granted a new trial by the Supreme Court of Canada has been sentenced to eight years in prison after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the fatal shooting of her domestic partner.

Deborah Doonanco, who is 58, was initially found guilty of second-degree murder, arson and interfering with human remains after Kevin Feland's body was found in her home in Glendon, Alta., in May 2014.

She was sentenced to life in prison, but appealed her conviction to the Alberta Court of Appeal, which dismissed it.

A dissenting opinion by one of the three judges gave Doonanco automatic leave to go to the Supreme Court, which granted the new trial in February.

An agreed statement of facts filed in today's hearing said that the relationship between Doonanco and Feland was characterized by abuse.

Justice Peter Michalyshyn accepted a joint submission by the Crown and defence lawyers that recommended the eight-year sentence, with four years of credit for time served.