Kenneth Courtorielle found guilty of manslaughter in death of Billie Johnson
An Alberta man has been convicted in the death of his girlfriend nearly three years ago.
Kenneth Courtorielle was found guilty of manslaughter on Monday in the death of Billie Johnson.
The 30-year-old Edmonton woman was last seen on Dec. 24, 2020, after taking a taxi from her mother's house to the apartment she shared with her boyfriend, Courtorielle.
Courtorielle was arrested on Feb. 9, 2021, and charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a human body.
Johnson's skull, lower jawbone, and three arm bones were found on April 21, 2021, in a wooded area 37 kilometres north of Edmonton near Bon Accord.
At his trial this spring, Courtorielle pleaded guilty to indignity to body, but denied killing Johnson, claiming she died of a cocaine overdose.
He said he dumped Johnson's body because he was on parole at the time of her death and he was afraid he'd go back to jail.
In his decision, Justice S.D. Hillier said he didn't believe Courtorielle's account that Johnson had died of an overdose because it was inconsistent with blood evidence found in the apartment and because Courtorielle had repeatedly lied to police during the investigation.
"I reject any assertion that Ms. Johnson may have died of a drug overdose causing a pulmonary hemorrhage or otherwise. I have no doubt in that regard," Hillier wrote in his decision.
"I am instead convinced from the evidence that Ms. Johnson died as a result of one or more blows to her face by the accused."
Johnson's mother spoke outside the court after Courtorielle's conviction.
"You took my daughter’s last struggling breaths. You see her die. And I hope that every morning when you wake up that you see that," Marless Johnson told reporters.
The maximum penalty for manslaughter is life in prison, with minimum penalties ranging from four to seven years.
A sentencing date has not been set.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau's 2024: Did the PM become less popular this year?
Justin Trudeau’s numbers have been relatively steady this calendar year, but they've also been at their worst, according to tracking data from CTV News pollster Nik Nanos.
Manhunt underway after woman, 23, allegedly kidnapped, found alive in river
A woman in her 20s who was possibly abducted by her ex is in hospital after the car she was in plunged into the Richelieu River.
Death toll in attack on Christmas market in Germany rises to 5 and more than 200 injured
Germans on Saturday mourned both the victims and their shaken sense of security after a Saudi doctor intentionally drove into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers, killing at least five people, including a small child, and wounding at least 200 others.
Overheated immigration system needed 'discipline' infusion: minister
An 'overheated' immigration system that admitted record numbers of newcomers to the country has harmed Canada's decades-old consensus on the benefits of immigration, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said, as he reflected on the changes in his department in a year-end interview.
Toronto firefighters rescue man who fell into sinkhole in Yorkville
A man who fell into a sinkhole in Yorkville on a snowy Friday night in Toronto has been rescued after being stuck in the ground for roughly half an hour.
Wild boar hybrid identified near Fort Macleod, Alta.
Acting on information, an investigation by the Municipal District of Willow Creek's Agricultural Services Board (ASB) found a small population of wild boar hybrids being farmed near Fort Macleod.
Summer McIntosh makes guest appearance in 'The Nutcracker'
Summer McIntosh made a splash during her guest appearance in The National Ballet of Canada’s production of 'The Nutcracker.'
The winter solstice is here, the Northern Hemisphere's darkest day
The winter solstice is Saturday, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere — ideal conditions for holiday lights and warm blankets.
22 people die in a crash between a passenger bus and a truck in Brazil
A crash between a passenger bus and a truck early Saturday killed 22 people on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil, officials said.