Trina Roache
APTN National News
HALIFAX – The Loretta Saunders murder trial ended suddenly Wednesday when the two accused of her death pleaded guilty to murdering the Inuk woman.
Blake Leggette pleaded guilty to first-degree murder that comes with an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Victoria Henneberry faced the same charge, but the Crown agreed to a guilty plea for second-degree murder.
“We’re pleased for the family that they don’t have to sit through a lengthy proceeding,” said Crown attorney Christine Driscoll. “We’re pleased that people are taking responsibility for their actions and we feel that it is just.”
The details of how they killed Loretta Saunders are now emerging.
According to court documents, in January 2014 the couple answered a Kijiji advertisement to sublet a room in Saunders’ Halifax apartment. But it wasn’t long before there was tension. Leggette and Henneberry were strapped for cash. Leggette hatched a plan to kill Saunders, steal her car and leave the province with Henneberry.
On Feb. 13, 2014, Saunders, who had moved in with her boyfriend, went to collect the rent. In an effort to keep Saunders in the apartment, knowing Leggette planned to kill her, Henneberry lied to Saunders that she had lost her bank card. Leggette came from behind while Saunders sat on the couch in the living room, grabbed her by the throat and began to choke her. Saunders struggled and tore at the plastics bags Leggette was trying to use to suffocate her.
Henneberry stayed during the struggle, which ended when Leggette hit Loretta’s head on the floor twice. He placed her body in a hockey bag and later that day carried it out of the apartment to the elevator and out the front door of the building. He put Saunders’ body in the trunk of her own car, which he and Henneberry stole along with her cellphone and bank card.
Henneberry used the cellphone to throw off Saunders’ boyfriend, Yalcin Surkultay. She texted him throughout the day, pretending to be Saunders.
Leggette and Henneberry dumped her body, still in the hockey bag, near some trees in a wide, snowy median on the highway near Salisbury, N.B.
The couple kept driving to Ontario, where they were arrested on February 18, 2014.
Crown lawyers can’t talk about the evidence until it’s read into court.
“I can say cause of death was asphyxia but that’s all,” said Driscoll.
Leggette’s lawyer Terry Sheppard said his client is remorseful.
“He didn’t assess his guilty plea because he thought the evidence against him was strong,” said Sheppard. “He entered a guilty plea because of his own sense that this was the right thing to do, to accept responsibility for his actions and to spare the Saunders’ family of going through this awful trial.”
Throughout the past 14 months, there’s been discussion between the Crown and defence counsel for both the accused over plea bargaining. But the trial proceeded, as did jury selection.
“We were settled into, mentally, that we were running the trial,” said Driscoll. “I would say the real intense discussion began (Tuesday) afternoon with respect to Mr. Leggette, and I would say today with regard to Ms. Henneberry.”
“Mr. Leggette indicated very early on in the process that he wanted to accept responsibility,” said Sheppard. “That led to a snowball effect with Ms. Henneberry.”
Henneberry had also faced first-degree murder, but the Crown agreed to a guilty plea for second-degree.
“Always in something like this, with a jury, there’s a risk of an outright acquittal or a different level of responsibility,” said Driscoll. “We felt we had a realistic prospect of conviction on second-degree murder. We think the outcome is appropriate in the case.”
Henneberry will serve a life sentence, but is eligible for parole between 10 and 25 years. The Crown did make a joint recommendation on parole but is not giving up those details. And the judge can dismiss that when it comes to formal sentencing at the end of the month.
Leggette will serve a mandatory life sentence of 25 years with no chance of parole.
Throughout the hearing, the family sat calmly and listened. But when they left the courtroom and hustled away from the media onto the elevator, Miriam Saunders said, “We’re happy,” and hugged another family member, looking relieved.
Though both guilty pleas carry life sentences, the family will still have a chance to give victim impact statements next week.
Henneberry and Leggette are back in court on April 29 for formal sentencing.
Saunders’ family is planning to hold a press conference in Halifax on Thursday morning.
