Regina man found guilty of murdering his wife

Jason McKay has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Jenny McKay.

Jason McKay sat emotionless in the courtroom as the verdict was read. It was delivered by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Michael Tochor on Friday after a trial that started two weeks ago.

Colette Toupin said she was Jenny’s best friend for years and was happy to hear the verdict.

“Now we just need to go to the harshest sentence and we’ll be so happy,” Toupin said while fighting back tears. “It has been so emotional. It has been such a roller-coaster.

“We’re just so happy. We’ve been thankful to God all morning. It’s so emotional.”

Shandy Maertens, another of Jenny’s friends, remembers her as a wonderful human.

“She was so kind. She was loving. She would take the shirt off her back just to give it to you,” Maertens said.

Maertens said Jenny would often come to her place to hang out by the fire and drink ginger ale.

“We now have justice for Jenny and that’s what we wanted,” Maertens said.

Jenny died in September of 2017 in the McKays’ home on Angus Street.

In his written decision, Tochor said there wasn’t any evidence that Jason McKay had been provoked.

“He did not testify he was angry, or that he was somehow provoked into a rage that deprived him of his faculties,” Tochor wrote. “To the contrary, he testified his relationship with Jenny was good and these were happy times.

“There is no evidentiary basis that Jason killed Jenny out of anger, excitement or instinctive reaction, or that he was deprived of an ability to control his emotions.”

Tochor found that McKay intended to kill his wife and said the evidence was “overwhelming.”

“The number, nature, and severity of the 24 knife wounds cannot be reconciled with any other intent,” the justice wrote, noting McKay used several different knives over a prolonged period of time to inflict the wounds.

Tochor also pointed out comments McKay made to the police that he had “killed her” and a threat he directed towards one of the officers as proof of McKay’s intent.

As well, Tochor dismissed any notion that McKay’s intoxication on the night of the murder was a defence.

Crown prosecutor Adam Breker said he thinks Jenny’s family is going through a mix of emotions now that the verdict has been handed down.

“They seem to be expressing relief and some happiness but it’s always viewed through the lens of the fact that their sister and daughter isn’t coming back. It’s always a bit of muted happiness,” Breker said.

Following the verdict, the defence requested that the court order a mental health assessment for Jason McKay.

“The court would have to have reasonable grounds to make such an order and we’re going to consider whether we think such grounds exist,” Breker said.

If the court does order an assessment, the Crown then can argue against it. If that was the case, sentencing could be delayed.

Sentencing currently is set for April 3.