Sentence begins for man who pleaded guilty to murdering his partner and two children

WINNIPEG — The sentencing hearing for a Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of his common-law wife and their two young children is set to begin Thursday.

Trevis McLeod, 52, admitted to the murders in September after a forensic examination revealed he was not mentally ill.

Shantelle Murphy, 32; Isabelle Murphy, 6 years old; and three-year-old Mason Murphy were found dead in the family’s duplex in Portage la Prairie, west of Winnipeg, on April 10, 2022.

Firefighters were initially called to the scene after neighbors reported the unit was on fire. Firefighters later found the three victims dead in two bedrooms upstairs.

The court heard the woman and her two children “suffered significant blunt force trauma to the head and body”.

McLeod had a history of substance abuse that led to drug-induced hallucinations and delusions. He had previously received medical treatment for paranoia and drug addiction.

At the time of the murders, McLeod was under the illusion that Shantelle Murphy and other “bad actors” were sexually abusing Isabella and Mason, the court heard.

A psychiatric evaluation conducted this summer determined that McLeod did not suffer from a mental disorder that would make him not criminally responsible for the killings. McLeod did not dispute the report.

An agreed statement of facts filed before Justice Chris Martin in the Court of King’s Bench in Winnipeg provided details of what happened the morning of the deaths.

McLeod told a psychiatrist shortly after his arrest that he believed there was a scheme to sexually traffick Isabella and Mason, Crown prosecutor Dayna Queau-Guzzi told the court.

McLeod said he thought he had to kill the children to protect them from further exploitation, Queau-Guzzi said.

McLeod admitted to drinking seven or eight beers at the family home. He found a metal pipe and used it to bludgeon Murphy and the two children.

Before leaving the house, McLeod woke up his adult son from a previous relationship, who was sleeping in a downstairs bedroom, and set fire to some of Isabella’s drawings from school in the living room .

McLeod’s eldest son went to stay with a relative nearby. The court heard that McLeod then visited several other residences in Portage la Prairie.

He first went to his brother’s house and started knocking on the window. The brother knew McLeod suffered from a methamphetamine addiction and assumed he was “completely drugged,” Queau-Guzzi read in the statement of facts.

The brother did not allow McLeod into the house and reported hearing McLeod say, “They’re dead.”

McLeod then went to his sister’s house, where he pointed at her and said, “It’s all your fault,” before punching her in the face. Police were called shortly after the interaction.

The court heard McLeod eventually went to a stranger’s house, telling the owner he needed help after being pushed into a ditch. The homeowner called her husband, a firefighter, who was working on the fire at McLeod’s house.

McLeod was arrested shortly after.

Police found blood on McLeod’s shirt, sweater, jacket and pants. He also carried a knife.

Forensic testing determined that the blood on her sweater belonged to Murphy and Isabella. No blood from the victims was found on the knife.

A second-degree murder verdict carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least 10 years. The Crown and defense lawyers jointly recommended parole ineligibility for 16 years.

Queau-Guzzi said the Crown agreed with the recommendation so the family would not have to go to trial.

“(The) joint recommendation will achieve finality, avoid a trial and allow the family to move on.”

The court heard McLeod was Metis, but his lawyers said they would waive the Gladue report, which is used to determine the sentencing of Indigenous offenders.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 24, 2024.

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press