Man To Be Sentenced For Murder Of 77-Year-Old Wife In Saanich, B.C., After Surprise Guilty Plea

The Canadian Press, 19 Jun, 2015 11:34 AM

VICTORIA — A Saanich, B.C., man has pleaded guilty in the shooting death of his 77-year-old wife.

Joseph DesRoches's jury trial for first-degree murder was well underway in Victoria when he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge accepted the plea and a sentencing hearing is set for next week.

DesRoches was arrested last year after his wife, Rosa, and their son's dog were shot to death in the couple's home.

Court heard testimony from an emergency dispatcher who said DesRoches was "eerily calm" when he called 911 after the shooting.

DesRoches' trial was expected to last another week.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Female Mounties Alleging Discrimination Seek Class-Action Suit Against RCMP

At age 22, Quebec native Joanne Mayer was greeted at her first RCMP posting in Gibsons, B.C., with a handshake and a blunt statement from the sergeant: "We don't think women should be in the force, and especially not French-speaking ones."

Female Mounties Alleging Discrimination Seek Class-Action Suit Against RCMP

Mermaid Tails Make A Splash With Swimmers, But Some Cities Ban Them From Pools

Krista Visinski is determined to be a mermaid, even if she's not allowed in the water right now. The Edmonton mother has been preparing for more than a year to become a professional sea nymph

Mermaid Tails Make A Splash With Swimmers, But Some Cities Ban Them From Pools

Toronto Man Convicted Of Four Counts Of First-Degree Murder

TORONTO — A Toronto man faces a life prison sentence after being convicted on Saturday of four counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of four men.

Toronto Man Convicted Of Four Counts Of First-Degree Murder

One Man Is Dead After Allegedly Stolen Canoe Flips On Quebec's Blueberry Lake

LABELLE, Que. — A man in his 20s is dead after a canoe he and a friend allegedly stole capsized on a lake in Quebec's Laurentian region.

One Man Is Dead After Allegedly Stolen Canoe Flips On Quebec's Blueberry Lake

Industry Minister James Moore Says Decision To Grant Escorted Outings To Child Killer An Insult

VANCOUVER — A senior federal cabinet minister has launched a scathing attack on a review board's decision to grant escorted outings to a British Columbia man who killed his three children.

Industry Minister James Moore Says Decision To Grant Escorted Outings To Child Killer An Insult

Jury To Begin Deliberating On Two Accused Of Plotting To Bomb B.C. Legislature

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bruce finished delivering her legal instructions to jurors on Saturday evening and they were to begin deliberations Sunday morning.